SUNDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2019 – UWI TODAY
15
CULTURE
Once upon a time, before the arrival of Europeans,
Trinidad had at least 11 autochthonous or indigenous
(so-called Amerindian) languages. Five of those languages
belonged to the
Carib
or
Cariban
family – only Kalina
(Carib) is alive. Three belonged to the
Ta-Arawakan
or
Ta-Maipurean
family – only Lokono (Arawak) is alive. Of
three from other language families, only
Warao
is alive. The
others are now extinct.
The death of a language is a great loss. A people’s
language is a critical component of their culture, identity and
daily lives. In recognition of this, and in an effort to increase
awareness of the importance of language preservation
and documentation, UNESCO has proclaimed 2019 the
International Year of Indigenous Languages (IYIL2019).
Launched on 28 January of this year, IYIL2019 is a
worthwhile and timely initiative, with great relevance to the
Caribbean, both the archipelago and the rimlands.
Language Death
The insular Caribbean archipelago was once described
as a “linguistic graveyard” by UWI Professor Emeritus
MervynC. Alleyne (1933–2016). A longstanding intolerance
towards multilingualism developed in most Caribbean
territories during colonial times. As a result of language
policies, whether socially, educationally or legally enforced,
nearly all of the Amerindian languages have disappeared
from the Caribbean island chain. Surviving indigenous
languages of the Continental or Greater Caribbean and the
rest of the Americas also continue to face similar threats.
Of the Cariban languages once in vigorous use here,
Kalina has 7,500 speakers across Venezuela, Guyana,
Suriname, French Guiana and Brazil. (The other four
Cariban languages,
Carinepagoto
,
Chaima
,
Nepoio
and
Yao
are all described as extinct.) Of the Arawakan languages,
Lokono has 2,500 speakers across Venezuela, Guyana,
Suriname and French Guiana. (The other two,
Shebaio
and
Igneri
are extinct.)
Warao
, a language isolate, is the most
widely spoken indigenous language in the Orinoco Delta,
with 33,000 speakers across Venezuela, Trinidad, Guyana
and Suriname. Although so many languages – including
Kalipunian
and
Chaguane
– are extinct, their speakers may
well have descendants among us today.
In the face of the destruction of the original linguistic
ecology of the Caribbean, charting the history of the dying
and extinct languages of the Americas sensitises us to deal
with issues of language planning, and helps us to know,
document and save the languages we still have, including
the ones that are endangered.
Language Vitality
For the Americas in general,
Ethnologue
estimates that
there are 1,060 living languages, 650 or 61% of which are
described as
In Trouble
and
Dying
—most are Amerindian.
These categories of Language Vitality are among those used
in the Expanded Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale
(Lewis and Simons 2010), a useful and detailed 13-tiered
measurement system ranging from
international
to
extinct
(with a 14
th
category of
forgotten
, off the scale).
2019 INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES
PreservingWhat Remains
B Y D R J O - A N N E S . F E R R E I R A
Ethnologue
catalogues only 23 languages for the
Caribbean, but there are over 70, including overlooked and
under-described home-grown Creole languages and sign
languages. Counting all the countries with a Caribbean
coast would bring the number of living languages up to
some 245 – most are Amerindian.
The most visible linguistic legacy of the First Peoples
of Trinidad and Tobago remains the over 200 toponyms
all over both islands, and some flora, fauna and words in
other domains. A 1986 Society for Caribbean Linguistics
conference paper by Rawwida Baksh-Soodeen and Arie
Boomert notes, “While this figure (200) may seem small,
it actually represents some 450 place names since a single
name may signify as many as five to six different situations
such as point, bay, river, town, village, mountain, road,
county or forest reserve. What is also significant is that
the bulk of the island’s main topographical features carry
Amerindian names”.
Dr Jo-Anne S. Ferreira is Senior Lecturer in Linguistics and Head of the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics, and President of the Society for Caribbean Linguistics.
Looking to the Future
All is not lost. Using tools of Anthropological
Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, Contact Linguistics, Language
Documentation, Historical and Comparative Linguistics,
Etymology, Linguistic Landscape, Language Acquisition
and Reclamation, History and Archaeology, it is possible
for us not only to reckon with the past and understand the
present, but tomove forward into the future.The futuremust
include a place for West Indian and Caribbean languages at
West Indian and Caribbean institutions.
Congratulations to UNESCO for proclaiming 2019
as the Year of Indigenous Languages. We look forward to
celebrating our intangible, indigenous, linguistic heritage
throughout the year. International Mother Language Day
will be held on 21 February and International Day of the
World’s Indigenous Peoples on 9 August. Visit
https://
en.iyil2019.org/
for more information on worldwide
commemorations.
“As a result of language policies, whether socially, educationally
or legally enforced, nearly all of the Amerindian languages have
disappeared from the Caribbean island chain. Surviving indigenous
languages of the Continental or Greater Caribbean and the rest of the
Americas also continue to face similar threats.”
Chief Ricardo Bharath Hernandez (centre) and members of the Santa Rosa First Peoples’ Community perform a “smoke ceremony”
at UWI St Augustine. Ceremonies, like language, are an important component of culture that should be preserved.
PHOTO: ANEEL KARIM
