Preserving Languages Is About More Than Words
| The Washington Post, 16/mar/2009. "[…] Preservation proponents say there are cultural and pragmatic reasons to save dying languages. Many indigenous communities have in their native tongues vast repositories of knowledge about medicinal herbs, information that could provide clues to modern cures. The Kallawaya people in South America have passed on a secret language from father to son for more than 400 years, including the names and uses of medicinal plants. It is now spoken by fewer than 100 people. Preserving languages is also key to the field of linguistics, which could offer a window into the workings of the brain. […]"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/15/AR2009031501857.html |