The Pitfalls of Codification, The Statesman, October 14, 2019

2015

Acta Juridica Hungarica, 2006

European Journal of Law Reform, 2017

Bodhi an Interdisciplinary Journal, 2009

1984

4. What are the characteristics of oral traditions? What are the implications of loss of language diversity across the globe? Oral traditions are more important that we might initially suppose and they are in severe jeopardy, a frightening number threatening to disappear forever in the immediate future. To offer an insight into the extent of this tragedy, it is presently approximated that we stand to lose a language every ten days for the foreseeable future (Harrison 2007:5). These verbally transmitted stories, myths, poems, ballads, songs, dramas, and narratives are the spoken transmissions of cultural understanding. Passed down through the generations via word of mouth rather than by way of the written medium, the form is fluid and constantly changing, free to transform with the culture as it evolves. This form-in the contemporary world-assures a vulnerable existence. In an era of globalisation in which peoples feel that it would be better for their children to learn the dominant language in a region so as to guarantee a "better" future, and as a result of past colonisations and oppressions, oral traditions are fading away into the seas of oblivion never to be retrieved, merging with those many which have experienced a similar fate before them. Often spoken traditions and alternative literacies are demeaned whilst alphabetic written systems are esteemed but, as we shall explore, these assumptions have been generally undone owing to recent developments in anthropological scholarship. With 'the demise of cultural diversity, the erosion of what might be termed the ethnosphere, the full complexity…of human potential as brought into being by culture and adaptation since the dawn of consciousness' (Davis 2007:5), our capacity as people for a more open-minded approach to life diminishes, as we perceive a decreasing number of alternative paths for understanding, of both other people and of the cosmos around us. Characteristics of Oral Traditions and difficulties with transcription Often written transcriptions of oral traditions are largely unsuccessful in their efforts at capturing meaning. Tedlock has drawn attention to those aspects of oral performance which are missed if a textual record is made instead of a voice recording, namely bodily movements; pauses; dynamics; the remarks or movements of an audience.

Revitalizing Indigenous Languages: Papers presented at the Annual Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium (5th, Louisville, KY, May 15-16, 1998), 1999

As indigenous communities begin to develop language revitalization programs, they inevitably must face the decision of whether to incorporate written forms of their historically oral languages into their efforts. This paper argues that as indigenous people go about the decision-making process, they must be aware of the implications of relying on a value laden medium, literacy, that has been closely associated with assimilation. Depending on one's perspective, literacy may be seen as a neutral technology, a vehicle for social and political action, or an "alien" medium. Four communities that have recently addressed the issue of indigenous literacy are examined. These cases include the historical use of indigenous literacy in Hawai'i, the recent inclusion of indigenous literacy in Navajo schools, a tribe that recently developed indigenous literacy, and a southwestern community that has chosen not to pursue indigenous literacy. The cases focus on the history of written indigenous language in each community, community discussions about whether or not to incorporate a written form in language revitalization efforts, and the current functions of literacy within the community. The cases suggest that cultural change can be tied, as least indirectly, to indigenous literacy, especially when the schools and churches are the main domain for use.