[Foundation-l] Priorities

[Ray Saintonge]

Gregory Maxwell wrote:
> On 10/24/07, Yann Forget <yann at forget-me.net> wrote:
>   
>> I think that Jon is quite right here. For example, for many languages,
>> because of lack of resources, there are no teacher on a subject, no good
>> books (or no book at all), so people have to use another language,
>> usually English, as a medium. So the vocabulary on that subject is not
>> used and not taught.
>>
>> That's how a language progessively disappears.
>>     
> So our mission is to now pay teachers and teach people to speak dying
> languages to preserve them?
>   
Where has anything been said about paying teachers of any sort?
> I'm imagining people playing by the seaside. They've built a beautiful
> sand-castle. Later the tide begins to come in and wash their work
> away.
>
> Some people are suggesting to the local volunteer art gallery that
> they boil the oceans to prevent the loss of the seaside art.
>
> After all, the gallery's mission is to help the public enjoy art...
The Navajo accept that their very lovely sand-paintngs are not meant to 
last.  The Haida accept that their totems will eventually fall and rot 
away. Respecting the cultures of others does not mean that we are acting 
as preservationists.  It still takes people who understand the language 
to do the work.

Ec