Studying abroad in New Zealand, despite being a great experience, has kept me out of the loop in terms of all things UA-related. Just to bring myself up to date I've been scouring the news and found whilst away, tuition has gone up (now was that really a surprise), the men's basketball team choked in the way only the Wildcats can, and, according to the New York Times, you're just as apt to get a quality education from using your public library card than with a degree earned, more or less, at the UA.
However, for a spot of good news, the UA distinguished itself from institutions nationwide through receiving the most awards from the National Science Foundation and the National Endowment of Humanities. On May 5th, UA linguists were awarded a total of three grants and two fellowships in their participation with the Documenting Endangered Languages project.
These local linguists share a common thread in that all their work focuses on the preservation of Native American languages. With research topics ranging from the "Documentation of Mountain Pima narratives" to the "Morphosyntax of verbs in Arizona Yaqui," the breadth of their work may mean nothing to the layman, but in reality their contributions to the DEL project carry far more importance than furthering the knowledge of the linguistics field.
In this increasingly interconnected world, globalization is changing the way we live. With our increased contact with other cultures, practicality becomes of utmost importance, which makes the use of a common language an important tool in facilitating communication. However useful a common language can be, the unfortunate side effect results in the dominance of one language and subsequently the dominance of its culture over less influential people who must adapt to the times. What results is a case of cultural homogeneity that is fast becoming a problem for cultures whose language does not serve a use.
From my experiences with other international students I've met while studying at Auckland University, I've learned just how far-reaching the effects of the English-speaking world have been – all in the name of cultural imperialism. Students come from all parts of Europe, Southeast Asia, and various islands of Oceania--you could walk through the corridors of the university and not hear one word of English spoken. However, all these students have a smattering of English to their credit that invariably makes me feel utterly lazy for not attempting to really learn another language, an inherent complacency that seems common for all native speakers of English.
New Zealand has taken a more progressive movement in diversifying its culture through its efforts in maintaining the indigenous language of the Maori, the original inhabitants of New Zealand before the colonial period.
In contrast to America, the native culture isn't relegated to scant mention; the Maori of New Zealand language and culture is given a more full, in-depth incorporation within mainstream culture even with its status as the minority. The writer Witi Ihimaera, author of the book "Whale Rider," describes the unusual situation of New Zealand, a nation that is defined by its minority. Alongside English, it's the co-official language, the national anthem is sung in both tongues, and an all-Maori television was created in order to maintain the language after leaders in the community saw that native Maori speakers were becoming an endangered species.
To launch such an effort in America would be highly unfeasible given the fact that there are far too many native languages to promote. Though it would be difficult to follow in the example of New Zealand, the efforts of the DEL project are an important step for linguists to save these languages from extinction.
Though globalization becomes a fact of life, total assimilation need not be looked on as an inevitability. Unlike the languages of antiquity which remain a mystery to us and whose writings from centuries ago are merely pretty-but-indecipherable scribbles and symbols, we have the ability to keep languages from becoming extinct. Researchers like these UA linguists ensure that we will always be able to access the stories and life history of a culture through its own unique speech.
Susan Bonicillo is a senior majoring in English and creative writing. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.