Save Cantonese at Stanford
docs.google.com
docs.google.com
I suppose this isn't a problem if you don't value language diversity; but it certainly saddens me to be witnessing probably the largest scale mass extinction of one of the defining features of human evolution, as the world trends towards easier communication for the masses. If I remember correctly, we are currently on track to lose the vast majority of the world's 7000 languages in the next 80 years.
At the same time, it brings me great joy that I can be alive at a time where large scale language diversity is still a thing, and I can witness it first-hand. (Sorry to those of you reading 1000 years from now :) )
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It saddens you that more people can communicate? As a fellow language fan, I appreciate languages as much as anyone else, but I would definitely have the whole world speaking one language fluently and be on a level playing field than have people unable to participate in global society because they didn't happen to be raised speaking the language (or don't have resources/motivation to learn as an adult).
I literally didn't say that or imply that at all :)
In fact, I think that easier communication is actually a good thing. What saddens me is that realistically it will probably be too challenging to maintain the daily use of all those languages, and eventually they will all succumb to history.
* the status of “unofficial” languages such as Cantonese, Shanghainese, Hakka, Hokkien, Minnan, or others, inside China, Taiwan, or overseas;
* their usage trends over (say) the last decade.
Such awareness would be crucial to saving extinct languages and ensuring language and cultural diversity.
This is such a bad argument. I could make the same case for X language not being taught at Stanford.
There was a time when I was like “okay, diversity inclusion, time to stop thinking.” But this line, “... built on the backs of Cantonese workers”. Should we teach every language of every African culture whose members were abducted in the slave trade? This isn’t feasible, valuable, or sensible. The goal might be, but the means is silly.
The more I’m asked to swallow abject absurdities like this, the more my default heuristic whenever I see the word “diversity” is to shut down and assume bad faith. Which leaves me feeling quite politically homeless, because the other team seems invested in gratuitous xenophobia, and homey just don’t play that.
We can only hope. I think it'll get worse before it gets better, though. At least in the circles I find myself in!