Friday, March 29, 2013

Saving Languages


1.      Name the country, language chosen & current status of that language
Northern Mariana Islands; Tanapag; 7 decreasing and near extinction

2.      Briefly research & summarize the people and culture of this language; citation as needed [give at least the source link so the quality may be evaluated]
Tanapag is a Micronesian language of the Austronesian language family. It is spoken by about 4,400 people on the island of Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands. The language may be endangered, as younger people tend to speak Chamorro instead of Tanapag, but there are also efforts being made to promote the language. [Information source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanapag_language]

3.      Describe & evaluate some evidence (e.g., historical, cultural, aesthetic) that you feel supports efforts to save the language. Give one link to evidence you find.
Due to the fact that Tanapag is a dying language, attempts are being made to try to bring it back. For example, a large portion of the people who live in Tanapag in the Northern Mariana Islands are trying to teach the language to their children. A small piece of evidence to support this can be found at the Tanapag Elementary School Website: [http://www.saipan.com/edu/tes/index.html]

4.      Upload one image that reflects the language and culture; include or write a caption.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/elmer_ng_pateros/favorites/page5/?view=lg
Saipan Carolinian dancers

This image is of a group of children who live in Tanapag. I chose this particular image because I felt that it shows how the people of Tanapag are trying to pass their culture and traditions on to the next generation. (They are passing on Dance traditions along with their language to try to keep it from going extinct)

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