David on Formosa

Interview with anthropologist Gerald Roche about China’s new Ethnic Unity Law

"If you look at the linguistic practices of people across China, you will start seeing the impact from this law 10 years from now. But those impacts will be permanent."

https://dominotheory.com/anthropologist-gerald-roche-on-chinas-new-ethic-unity-law-qa/

#China #linguistics #HumanRights #Tibet #Uyghur

Anthropologist Gerald Roche on China’s New Ethic Unity Law (Q&A) - Domino Theory

“The state is just a snowplow, pushing ahead. There might be pebbles that get in its way, but they’re not going to slow it down.”

Domino Theory
Mar 14 at 1:52amWeb
Show threadPierre EquoyMar 14

@davidonformosa "we’re going to see the impacts of this ethnic unity law in about 10 to 20 years. It will be seen at the level of the family and the home. Parents will stop teaching these languages to their kids. And that’s how you kill a language."

Exactly what happened in France in the late 19th century. Teachers would beat up children speaking regional languages at school. Within a generation, people stopped talking regional languages. Attempts to bring them back have been mostly useless.

Show threadDavid on FormosaMar 14
@pieq Yes, similar things have happened in many parts of the world. Unfortunately, we haven't learnt any lessons from this.