Help preserve cultural diversity (Was: Language barriers --- financial barriers)

[Luis Gonzalez-Reimann]

on 3/20/2009 11:22 AM Paolo Magnone wrote:
> ... (By the way, Macaulay would have seconded the motion that 
> indologists should give up writing in their respective mother tongues 
> in favour of English, a language which in his opinion “stands 
> pre-eminent even among the languages of the west”,
Dear Paolo,

Regardless of Macaulay fanciful opinion about the 'pre-eminence' of 
English, the fact is that, today, English is the most practical language 
for international communication, scholarly or otherwise. This is not an 
ideological, political or imperial matter, but simply a pragmatic one. 
The current international importance of English is a fact, regardless of 
where that importance comes from. In that sense, India, with its 
familiarity with English, has a distinctive advantage over Latin America 
(and other regions) because, despite Macaulay's fantasies about 
pre-Columbian America and Spain, publishing in Spanish does prevent you 
from reaching a wider audience. I say this as someone who has published 
two Indological books in Spanish.

Regarding your words: " Let us preserve bio-diversity, let us preserve 
the rare indigenous varieties of cultural crops! ," I agree completely 
of course, but there is a difference between publishing scholarly work 
in English instead of in one's native language in order to reach an 
international audience, and publishing in one's native language as a 
statement in support of that language (or to promote knowledge among the 
speakers of that language). In any case, they are not mutually exclusive.

I concur with 'K' Dominik that it is "reductionist and essentializing to 
present Macaulay as the representative voice of Anglophone attitudes to 
India ..." And let us not forget how the expression "Macaulay's 
Children" is used in a derogatory way.

Best,

Luis González-Reimann

>