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71. An Overview of Kurtöp Morphophonemics

Author:
Gwendolyn Hyslop
Publication Date:
09-2014
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal of Bhutan Studies
Institution:
Centre for Bhutan & GNH Studies (CBS)
Abstract:
Kurtöp is an East Bodish (Tibeto-Burman) language of Bhutan that is still endangered as people shift from the village to centers of commerce outside of the Kurtöp-speaking region. While it has been described to some extent (e.g. Hyslop 2011) there has not been much attempt made to communicate findings of the language to outside fields. Specifically, this article presents an analysis of morphophonology, or sound changes conditioned by word formation, in Kurtöp. In Linguistics, the term ‘phonology’ refers to the study of sound systems used in language while ‘morphology’ refers to the study of morphemes, or meaningful word units. Taken together, morphophonology is the study of how sounds change in words depending on how the words are composed. For example, in English, the plural suffix -s is pronounced as [s] when following words that end with sounds like [p], [t], and [k], as in gaps, pits and yaks. However, when plural -s follows words that end with sounds like [ʃ] the suffix is pronounced as [əz] as in leashes. It is important to keep in mind that in linguistics we study the way words are pronounced, rather than the way they are written.
Topic:
Linguistics and Language
Political Geography:
South Asia and Bhutan

72. Rivalry of Iranian Littérateurs against Persian Poets of India: Its effect on Evolution of Classical Literature of Urdu

Author:
Shagufta Bano, Zahida Habib, and Muhammad Sohail
Publication Date:
07-2014
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
South Asian Studies
Institution:
Department of Political Science, University of the Punjab
Abstract:
Tens of million people of Pakistan, India and Bangladesh speak Urdu language and hundreds of people of South Asia understand it. It is such an auspicious language that many pious Sufis and holy saints participated in its growth and development. When the Muslims came in India they spoke Persian, Arabic and Turkish languages. Although they did not enforce any of these languages by force in India, but Persian was the official language of the regions under Muslim rule. Therefore, the people had to get a nodding acquaintance of Persian. On the other hand many words related to Muslim mode of life and Islamic sociology entered into local language. Although the local language started growing rapidly but it did not get the status of mature literary language that Persian enjoyed. Therefore, the scholars, intellectuals and litterateurs of India preferred Persian language for expression of serious subjects. But the Iranian scholars and poets showed incredulity about Persian works of the Indians. These antagonistic feelings against the Indian littérateurs turned them towards their local language. This paper examines the effect of this reactionary attitude on the development of Urdu.
Topic:
Literature, Language, Rivalry, Poetry, and Urdu
Political Geography:
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, South Asia, Middle East, and India

73. The Role of English in Culture Preservation in Bhutan

Author:
Dorji Thinley and T. W. Maxwell
Publication Date:
03-2013
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal of Bhutan Studies
Institution:
Centre for Bhutan & GNH Studies (CBS)
Abstract:
This study explores issues surrounding the preservation and promotion of culture in the context of the secondary school English curriculum in Bhutan. The languages of Bhutan carry a rich and diverse tradition of oral literatures, but these genres and the cultural values they embody may disappear if they are not promoted. In Bhutan, schools are an active culture preservation site. For this reason, and also since English is the language of curricula for most subjects taught in school, we assumed that one of the ways in which Bhutan’s diverse cultures can be honoured and enlivened is through the study of folk literature in the English curriculum. We asked two questions: (1) “How do secondary English teachers perceive the long-term role of Bhutanese folk literature as a source of cultural knowledge in the English curriculum?” and (2) “What knowledge and attitude do secondary students show following three months of learning about Bhutanese folk literature in the secondary English curriculum?” To address the first question, 38% of all secondary English teachers (n-181) responded to a purpose-built questionnaire followed by in-depth interviews undertaken with six (expert) teachers. The second research question was addressed using action research conducted with twenty-four Class 11 science students over three months in a higher secondary school in south Bhutan. Three important perspectives on the role of English in culture maintenance were identified. First, the latter can create opportunities for students to learn English in culturally familiar contexts. Second, using folk literatures that exist in different languages but translated into English as pedagogical catalysts will not only promote the values of cultural diversity in school but will also ensure the intergenerational continuity of Bhutanese culture through the education of children. Third, since English is a global language and a language of growing popularity in Bhutan, English translations of oral literature will promote cultural diversity and continuity in the face of globalization.
Topic:
Education, Culture, Language, and English
Political Geography:
South Asia and Bhutan

74. Language Loss and the Ethnic Identity of Minorities

Author:
Ulrike Schmidt
Publication Date:
11-2008
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI)
Abstract:
With the enlargement of the European Union, language, as a crucial element of ethnic identity, has recently again advanced to the focus of the European political and social stage. In the European tradition, language has become a major marker of belonging to a particular ethnic or national group. Recent conflicts in South Eastern Europe, but also along regional borders in Western Europe - as in Catalunya or Corsica - have often revolved around issues of language. These conflicts have demonstrated that the reality in most European countries differs from the traditional image of linguistically homogeneous states and is further questioned by the demand for recognition by regional speakers who have become ethnic or regional minorities in this nation-state system.
Topic:
Minorities, Ethnicity, Language, and Identity
Political Geography:
Europe