From: no_email@invalid.invalid   
      
   Ross Clark  wrote:   
   > On 6/05/2024 10:50 p.m., Ross Clark wrote:   
   >> "This day was officially established in 2009 by the Community of   
   >> Portuguese-speaking Countries, and in 2019 UNESCO made it a world day --   
   >> the first time such a status had been given to a language that isn't an   
   >> official medium at the United Nations. The case was supportedby two   
   >> facts: Portuguese isthe most widely spoken language in the southern   
   >> hemisphere, notably in Brazil; and it was a leading language during the   
   >> first wave of globalization, introducing loan words into many   
   >> languages." (Crystal)   
   >>   
   >> No explanation of why this day. Antonio?   
   >   
   > SORRY! Should be  5 MAY!!   
   >   
   > Is that easier to answer?   
      
   Apparently because it was the day when the ministers of Culture (cringe,   
   yes) of the CPLP first met officially 🤷   
      
   Nobody knows about this day other than the people officially involved with   
   it.   
      
   Personally I find the concept of 'X language day' a bit stupid. What does   
   it mean for a given language to have a day? Does it mean it's worth more   
   than the other 7000? I find that very offensive. Does it mean the language   
   has more global weight? Then it hardly needs a special day, does it.   
      
   That's not Ross's fault, of course. I apologise.   
      
      
   >   
   >>   
   >> UNESCO, naturally, honours big languages with days. New Zealand has   
   >> taken to doing it in weeks, and all the languages so honoured would have   
   >> to be called small (if not tiny) on a world scale. It started with Maori   
   >> Language Week, quite a few years ago, at a time when the language still   
   >> seemed seriously endangered. The week has expanded to a month, but the   
   >> language seems to have reached a much healthier state for a variety of   
   >> reasons.   
   >>   
   >> They have now added Tongan, Samoan, Niuean and some other Pacific   
   >> islands from which substantial numbers of immigrants have settled here.   
   >> Those immigrant communities have had varying success in keeping their   
   >> languages going here.   
   >>   
   >> Just recently it was announced that we would have Tok Pisin and Solomons   
   >> Pijin weeks in the near future. (I don't know why Bislama was   
   >> overlooked.) The actual number of speakers of these in NZ must be even   
   >> smaller.   
   >>   
   >> Today is the first day of NZ Sign Language Week. NZSL enjoys national-   
   >> language status along with Maori, so one can't argue with its inclusion.   
   >> One of the special events was an Air NZ flight (maybe just an hour's   
   >> sightseeing jaunt) with all deaf passengers and all cabin crew able to   
   >> communicate in NZSL.   
   >   
   >   
      
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