New Documentary Film Tracks Languages

Scientists who study linguistics estimate that half the world's spoken languages are likely to disappear in this century. VOA's Paul Sisco spoke with the director of a new documentary film that chronicles the work of two scientists who are traveling the world in a race to preserve what they can.


VOAvideo
October 17, 2008




Scientists estimate that of 7,000 languages in the world, half will be gone by the end of this century. On average, one language disappears every two weeks. THE LINGUISTS follows David Harrison and Gregory Anderson, scientists racing to document languages on the verge of extinction. David and Greg's 'round-the-world journey takes them deep into the heart of the cultures, knowledge, and communities at stake. In Siberia, David and Greg seek to record the Chulym language, which hasn't been heard by outsiders for more than thirty years. The linguists encounter remnants of the racist Soviet regime that may have silenced Chulym for good. In India, tribal children attend boarding schools, where they learn Hindi and English, a trade, and the pointlessness of their native tongues. Similar boarding schools for tribal children existed in the US through most of the twentieth century. David and Greg travel to the children's villages, where economic unrest has stirred a violent Maoist insurgency. The linguists witness the fear and poverty that have driven youth from their native communities. In Bolivia, the Kallawaya language has survived for centuries with fewer than one hundred speakers. David and Greg trek high into the Andes to unlock its secret.

moviefansdcj
August 24, 2008

Youtube Live

Youtube Live is now on!

This merges local TV broadcasting live and the internet! Now,we'll see the world form different local angles, from different locality reporting! It is TV but more inter-active and more democratic than the traditional TV. Less advertisements, I suppose. And of course, the viewer is more in control. Traditional TV is passive. Youtube Live is inter-active, indeed.

The internet absorbs the radio, tv, movies and more. It is the stage of multimedia entertainment.

Now, this is good for locals who can broadcast their own local news.
This is good for localization. Good for local languages and cultures.

On the night of Youtube Live, Queen Rania of Jordan received an award for how she use youtube to breakdown prejudices and intolerance.



And more, the power of youtube is demonstrated on this occasion. Youtube is making stars from the ground. Now, it's youtube community. It's Youtube power.
Youtube is a phenomenon to watch.

The History Of English Language