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Western Armenian Is Nearing Extinction
By Dr. Arda Jebejian -
The Armenian Mirror-Spectator
Saturday, April 14, 2012
`We must know the white man language to survive in this world. But we
must know our language to survive forever.' (Darryl Babe Wilson, a
Native American).
The recent well-justified alarm that western Armenian is among the
world's thousands of endangered languages (that is, predicted to die
in the next 100 years), important though it is, is not enough. What
this language, culture and people need is the development of
therapeutic undertakings and approaches.
The case of endangered languages is just a short-cut way of referring
to endangered cultures and cultural identities, especially in an era
where globalization, definitely not a culturally neutral or impartial
phenomenon, has rendered reversing language shift an unequal struggle
for linguists.
As an Armenian sociolinguist, not only am I committed to pursue the
goals of strengthening my own endangered language, culture and
identity via objective persuasion and advocacy of positive attitudes
to foster intergenerational continuity but also to seek a reasonable
compromise with respect to the culturally stronger dominant languages
neighboring Armenian diasporic communities.
Admittedly, such a combination of sensitivity and of priorities is
difficult to achieve; hence, the demanding task of strengthening
endangered languages.
Linguists have identified thousands of the world's languages that are
endangered because of a recognizable syndrome that varies in kind and
degree, from one endangered language to another. Similarly, the cures
must also vary.
The bulk of Armenian diasporic communities were formed after the 1915
Genocide. Since then, the impact of forced dispersal, survival in host
countries and the dominant majority languages on the status of their
language and the linguistic and attitudinal behavior of their members
has been tremendous.
Seven years ago, when I began researching the vitality of western
Armenian in Beirut, Lebanon, the findings almost shocked the Armenian
community but slowly generated an awareness of the current trends in
language maintenance, language shift and transmission of their ethnic,
minority language whose alphabet, like the Ten Commandments, was
bestowed on Mesrob Mashdots in a divine vision.
What unfolds is deterioration in the status of western Armenian and
the oral fluency of its speakers. The generational disparities in
attitudes and perceptions demonstrate that along with the significant
changes in the way different generations of Armenians grasp their
ethno-cultural identity, there are also considerable differences
regarding feelings of loyalty to their ethnic language, homeland and
heritage.
After 97 years of diasporic existence, some Armenian communities seem
to have developed a defeatist, pessimistic stance towards the
preservation of their ethnic language, with a stubborn conviction that
I am French. Why should I speak Armenian? What good will it do me in
France? I am American. I feel American. The fact that my ancestors
were Armenian a 100 years ago has no significance to me. Why do we
always have to make it hard on ourselves? We have to move on with our
lives. Who cares if nobody ever speaks Armenian any more? We will
never go back to Armenia or western Armenia. What is the good of
wasting time, pressuring our kids, demanding that they speak
Armenian? I don't speak Armenian but I feel Armenian. Let's admit it.
In today's world, Armenian is a useless language. Armenian is so
difficult. English is much much easier. English is my mother tongue
now. I do everything in English and don't need Armenian. Forget it.
It's a lost case. Have you ever heard how Armenians speak Armenian in
Armenia? Let them worry about their language. I don't want to hear
about it. It makes me feel guilty. Life is already hard. Don't make it
any harder. I wasn't born in Armenia. Why should I speak Armenian? How
is Armenian going to help my children find a job? There is no future
in Armenian.
Indeed, there is very little a sociolinguist can do when faced with
such attitudes emanating from members of a group whose ethnic language
is endangered. At this moment, many Armenian children are not being
taught Armenian, and parents do not realize that soon it will not be
there to be revived. As a sociolinguist I must make this as clear as
possible, but it may not change many minds.
Rightly, linguists assert that besides being linguistically expressed,
behaviors such as the education, the religious beliefs and
observances, the self-governmental operations, the literature, the
folklore, philosophy of morals and ethics, the medical code of
illnesses and diseases, childhood socialization, establishment of
friendship and kinship ties, greetings, jokes, songs, benedictions and
maledictions are usually enacted through the specific language with
which these activities endured, have been identified and
inter-generationally associated. Hence, as efforts and awareness
campaigns are directed at slowing down environmental damage, similar
efforts should be directed at helping the world's endangered languages
and cultures, including western Armenian and culture. Any reduction of
language diversity diminishes the adaptational strength of the human
species, which constitutes a huge intellectual loss and reduces the
most direct glimpses at the creativity of the human mind. Also, it
represents an incalculable loss of scientific data, which causes a
loss of traditional cultures and identities, stultifies human
creativity and leads to totalitarianism.
Joshua Fishman, the prominent linguist, describes the proponents of
`one language, one culture as `reductionists' whose `realism' reduces
human values, emotions, loyalties and philosophies to little more than
hard cash and brute forces.' Alts'iisi, a Navajo, puts it this way:
`When the words of all people become one, then the world will come to
an end. Our language is holy, and when it is gone, the good in life
will be gone with it. When the old ones said that the world would end
with the disappearance of our language, they meant that the young
people could not hear, understand and heed the teachings, words of
encouragement, expressions of love, scoldings and corrections that
were offered by the parents and elder relatives; nor would they be
able to pray. Without prayers, our lives cannot be good, for without
words there can be no prayers.'
These are far from being exhaustive lists, but hopefully they get
across the message that optimally all efforts must be exerted to
instill pride in the Armenian language and identity and create a
linkage system, whereby young Armenian parents, adolescents and
children utilize the Armenian language or relearn it and transmit it
intergenerationally.
(Dr. Arda Jebejian received her PhD inlinguistics and teaches at
universities in Lebanon and Cyprus.)
By Dr. Arda Jebejian -
The Armenian Mirror-Spectator
Saturday, April 14, 2012
`We must know the white man language to survive in this world. But we
must know our language to survive forever.' (Darryl Babe Wilson, a
Native American).
The recent well-justified alarm that western Armenian is among the
world's thousands of endangered languages (that is, predicted to die
in the next 100 years), important though it is, is not enough. What
this language, culture and people need is the development of
therapeutic undertakings and approaches.
The case of endangered languages is just a short-cut way of referring
to endangered cultures and cultural identities, especially in an era
where globalization, definitely not a culturally neutral or impartial
phenomenon, has rendered reversing language shift an unequal struggle
for linguists.
As an Armenian sociolinguist, not only am I committed to pursue the
goals of strengthening my own endangered language, culture and
identity via objective persuasion and advocacy of positive attitudes
to foster intergenerational continuity but also to seek a reasonable
compromise with respect to the culturally stronger dominant languages
neighboring Armenian diasporic communities.
Admittedly, such a combination of sensitivity and of priorities is
difficult to achieve; hence, the demanding task of strengthening
endangered languages.
Linguists have identified thousands of the world's languages that are
endangered because of a recognizable syndrome that varies in kind and
degree, from one endangered language to another. Similarly, the cures
must also vary.
The bulk of Armenian diasporic communities were formed after the 1915
Genocide. Since then, the impact of forced dispersal, survival in host
countries and the dominant majority languages on the status of their
language and the linguistic and attitudinal behavior of their members
has been tremendous.
Seven years ago, when I began researching the vitality of western
Armenian in Beirut, Lebanon, the findings almost shocked the Armenian
community but slowly generated an awareness of the current trends in
language maintenance, language shift and transmission of their ethnic,
minority language whose alphabet, like the Ten Commandments, was
bestowed on Mesrob Mashdots in a divine vision.
What unfolds is deterioration in the status of western Armenian and
the oral fluency of its speakers. The generational disparities in
attitudes and perceptions demonstrate that along with the significant
changes in the way different generations of Armenians grasp their
ethno-cultural identity, there are also considerable differences
regarding feelings of loyalty to their ethnic language, homeland and
heritage.
After 97 years of diasporic existence, some Armenian communities seem
to have developed a defeatist, pessimistic stance towards the
preservation of their ethnic language, with a stubborn conviction that
I am French. Why should I speak Armenian? What good will it do me in
France? I am American. I feel American. The fact that my ancestors
were Armenian a 100 years ago has no significance to me. Why do we
always have to make it hard on ourselves? We have to move on with our
lives. Who cares if nobody ever speaks Armenian any more? We will
never go back to Armenia or western Armenia. What is the good of
wasting time, pressuring our kids, demanding that they speak
Armenian? I don't speak Armenian but I feel Armenian. Let's admit it.
In today's world, Armenian is a useless language. Armenian is so
difficult. English is much much easier. English is my mother tongue
now. I do everything in English and don't need Armenian. Forget it.
It's a lost case. Have you ever heard how Armenians speak Armenian in
Armenia? Let them worry about their language. I don't want to hear
about it. It makes me feel guilty. Life is already hard. Don't make it
any harder. I wasn't born in Armenia. Why should I speak Armenian? How
is Armenian going to help my children find a job? There is no future
in Armenian.
Indeed, there is very little a sociolinguist can do when faced with
such attitudes emanating from members of a group whose ethnic language
is endangered. At this moment, many Armenian children are not being
taught Armenian, and parents do not realize that soon it will not be
there to be revived. As a sociolinguist I must make this as clear as
possible, but it may not change many minds.
Rightly, linguists assert that besides being linguistically expressed,
behaviors such as the education, the religious beliefs and
observances, the self-governmental operations, the literature, the
folklore, philosophy of morals and ethics, the medical code of
illnesses and diseases, childhood socialization, establishment of
friendship and kinship ties, greetings, jokes, songs, benedictions and
maledictions are usually enacted through the specific language with
which these activities endured, have been identified and
inter-generationally associated. Hence, as efforts and awareness
campaigns are directed at slowing down environmental damage, similar
efforts should be directed at helping the world's endangered languages
and cultures, including western Armenian and culture. Any reduction of
language diversity diminishes the adaptational strength of the human
species, which constitutes a huge intellectual loss and reduces the
most direct glimpses at the creativity of the human mind. Also, it
represents an incalculable loss of scientific data, which causes a
loss of traditional cultures and identities, stultifies human
creativity and leads to totalitarianism.
Joshua Fishman, the prominent linguist, describes the proponents of
`one language, one culture as `reductionists' whose `realism' reduces
human values, emotions, loyalties and philosophies to little more than
hard cash and brute forces.' Alts'iisi, a Navajo, puts it this way:
`When the words of all people become one, then the world will come to
an end. Our language is holy, and when it is gone, the good in life
will be gone with it. When the old ones said that the world would end
with the disappearance of our language, they meant that the young
people could not hear, understand and heed the teachings, words of
encouragement, expressions of love, scoldings and corrections that
were offered by the parents and elder relatives; nor would they be
able to pray. Without prayers, our lives cannot be good, for without
words there can be no prayers.'
These are far from being exhaustive lists, but hopefully they get
across the message that optimally all efforts must be exerted to
instill pride in the Armenian language and identity and create a
linkage system, whereby young Armenian parents, adolescents and
children utilize the Armenian language or relearn it and transmit it
intergenerationally.
(Dr. Arda Jebejian received her PhD inlinguistics and teaches at
universities in Lebanon and Cyprus.)