There was an article in an Australian newspaper on Saturday (The Age in Melbourne, Good Weekend supplement) discussing disappearing Aboriginal languages. Thought the following may be of interest in light of the recent linguistics discussion:
"A language expires on average every two years in Australia, and every fortnight worldwide. Of the 250-odd Aboriginal languages (comprising up to 700 dialects) spoken at the time of colonisation, each as different from the other as English and Dutch, some 55 have already gone, and the rate of extinction has never been higher." Jen in Melbourne (ps - Yvonne, how about one of my personal favourites "he's got a head like a half-sucked Twistie" for your list?) To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
