Language & Culture - Take Two Speaker Series

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November 29, 2018

3:30 pm | Andy’s Place (AH100)

 

Inge Genee | Modern Languages & Indigenous Studies

Title: Learning About Indigenous Cultures Through Indigenous Languages
Indigenous cultures and languages all over the world are alive and kicking despite a long history of colonial suppression, but many Indigenous languages are endangered or have already gone to sleep. Some languages are being revitalized or reawakened, often with the help of written descriptions made by outsiders. In this talk, I will discuss some of the ways in which the vocabulary and grammar of Indigenous languages can be used to understand modern and traditional practice and epistemology, with special attention to the Blackfoot language, and illustrate how oral and written sources can both contribute to understanding, revitalization and reclamation.

 

Kevin McGeough | Geography

Title: Studying Ancient Cultures Through Ancient Languages
The ancient cultures of Mesopotamia and the Near East left behind a remarkable corpus of textual records written in a variety of languages. These are incredible resources for historians, but since the writing systems had fallen out of use for thousands of years, they had to be deciphered in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In this talk, I will discuss some of the methods scholars use to understand these writings, illustrate the challenges that historians face when languages fall out of use, and how the survival of languages like Hebrew and Coptic has allowed access to Near Eastern scripts.

 

For more information follow this link: https://www.uleth.ca/research/nov-29-2018-language-culture

Room or Area: 
AH100

Free


Contact:

Rachel Clarke | rachel.clarke@uleth.ca | (403) 329-2431

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