With the news of Warren Buffet's donation of most of an estimated $44 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), and remembering that the BMGF has funded some programs for endangered languages, one wonders whether any of this new mass of capital can be directed for use for language revitalization and linguistic diversity. Is not just a question of whether some more money can be allocated for specific projects, but rather whether resources can be found to develop and implement long-term programs for the development of minority languages. There are a number of important but relatively small programs to assist in documentation of endangered languages, and there are sometimes programs in individual countries to promote teaching of and development of literature in certain languages, but there does not seem to be any overarching strategy involving a range of actors (or "stakeholders") involved in or concerned with language preservation and development.
At this time, when we read so often about about the current and expected rates of language extinction, when many countries and communities lack the resources to plan and manage for their own linguistic diversity, when many children especially of minority groups do not have access to formal education of any sort let alone in their maternal language, and when older people in minority language communities pass away taking with them knowledge that cannot be replaced (the proverbial "when an elder dies, a library burns"), while at the same time we have the resources, both monetary and technological, to record, manipulate, produce, and instruct in any language, there is an urgent need to develop bold, coherent and long term strategies. Basically we seem to be faced with a window of opportunity of limited duration, and an imperative to act promptly. The GF even with this added capital, is not the only organization that can assist in this area, so it shouldn't be singled out. There are other organizations that can and should contribute as well - philanthropic, national, intergovernmental. However, given the amount of resources now at the BMGF's disposal, and its implied link via its founder to information technology (which has a great potential to help work in language development and revitalization), it certainly is a logical starting place. And since this story is big in the news at this moment, maybe it deserves some focused discussion in order to produce a strong policy proposal? ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Great things are happening at Yahoo! Groups. See the new email design. http://us.click.yahoo.com/TISQkA/hOaOAA/yQLSAA/TpIolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AfricanLanguages/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
