It was once as popular as English is today- spoken by Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians and known as far away as China. But as NPR reports, it’s slowly disappearing. Scholars believe it will be vanish within the next two generations.
For inquiring minds: click over to NPR to hear the sounds of Aramaic. What other languages do you think it resembles?
This video from IE Languages explains some of the more common reductions in everyday spoken French.
Courtesy of Kate from Scratch
How about some quick, easy, accessible Chinese this weekend?
Photo Courtesy: BBC News
This article from BBC News discusses the project of UK banker George Jabbour to create SaypU, a new universal language. Utilizing a spelling designed to more accurately reflect the phonetic pronunciation of individual letters, the language has a pronunciation that is easy to learn. Jabbour argues that this feature will enhance the language’s appeal as a common means of communication, reducing the cultural dissonance associated with dissimilar forms of linguistic expression:
“‘If people pronounce and speak in the same way it makes people feel closer to one another. I do think the world with a single alphabet would be a more peaceful place.”
Drawing comparisons to Esperanto, a language created with similar Utopian aspirations, the article highlights a number of factors that hinder SaypU’s prospects for long-term success. As an example, Nicolas Ostler, chairman of the Foundation for Endangered Languages, points out that the inability of any alphabet to standardize accents is a significant shortcoming of SaypU’s central premise.
Other critics of the project cite reasons beyond the phonetic challenges. Henry Hitchings, author of Language Wars, is cynical of language projects that are hoping to achieve the same goals that Esperanto failed to achieve:
“Utopian language projects, in which an artificial system is put forward as an alternative to what’s developed naturally, tend to fail. People are strongly attached to the distinctiveness and idiosyncrasies of whatever language they use.”
Finnish rapper Signmark will be performing at the Kennedy Center’s Nordic Cool festival on February 26th.
From the Kennedy Center website:
“Creator of the world’s first sign language hip hop DVD, Signmark (aka Marko Vuoriheimo) has been performing around the world for more than a decade, touring such countries as Japan, the United States, Iceland, Spain, Ethiopia, and Namibia. Leaping onto the international stage when asked to represent Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2006, Signmark became the first deaf person to be signed to a major international recording label. Strong bass beats with low frequencies help Signmark adapt to rap and hip hop rhythms and vocalist Brandon Bauer joins Signmark on his albums, videos, and performances.”‘
The video above is for the song “Speakerbox,” Signmark’s entry during the qualifying rounds of the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest.