Comments on: learning from the Pirahã language /2009/03/learning-from-the-piraha-language/ Sarah Allen's reflections on internet software and other topics Wed, 10 Apr 2013 22:18:11 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.7.1 By: Molly /2009/03/learning-from-the-piraha-language/#comment-405 Wed, 10 Apr 2013 22:18:11 +0000 /?p=954#comment-405 I really enjoyed hearing about a speech that Daniel Everett performed about the Pirahã language. Last week, my foreign language learning class held a Skype interview with Daniel Everett. The aspect of the language and the culture that interests me the most is its possible extinction. Therefore, a question I asked Daniel Everett was about how he felt about the Brazilian government coming into the Pirahã community and forming schools in which taught the people the Portuguese language. I think that the Pirahã learning the Portuguese language is a lot different than say A person who’s native language is English learning Portuguese. The Pirahã learning this language represents a huge change for their culture. The Portuguese Language obviously includes counting and the idea of a past and future, like most other languages, but which the Pirahã language does not contain. If the Pirahã begin to understand and accept these ideas, this may leave them wanting more than their simple, but happy lives. In Don’t Sleep there are Snakes, Daniel Everett states that he is pretty sure that the Pirahã do not even have a word for “worry” (279). In our interview with Daniel Everett, I asked him what he thought about the Brazilians coming in and making these changes. He said that for the most part he does not agree with these changes and is worried about the Pirahã language. He does not want the Pirahã language to become extinct like others alike but he fears the there is nothing he can do to help the cause. Everett believes that the Pirahã language is formed from their culture so if you change their culture you change their language. The Brazilian government did not only bring them schools to teach them Portuguese but they brought electricity for television and lighting as well as a hospital. Adding these changes in their culture and language will change the Pirahã people. In the book, Don’t Sleep there are Snakes, Daniel Everett states how the Pirahã show no evidence of anxiety, depression, panic attacks or chronic fatigue (278). One can try to make connections between this and the fact that the people live only in the present. They have nothing to worry about in the past or the future therefore there is no need for anxiety or depression. So, if the Brazilians do begin to modernize their culture, will the people begin to show evidence of these aliments? Daniel Everett also states in his book that there is proof that the Pirahã’s are the happiest people in the world (278). So, to conclude, why make all of these efforts to change the Pirahã when they are happy the way they are and have no want or need to be a part of the outside world?
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]]> By: Fred /2009/03/learning-from-the-piraha-language/#comment-404 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 05:30:17 +0000 /?p=954#comment-404 This was possibly mentioned in the talk (or during a Q&A afterwards), but the claims about Piraha numbers and recursion are not uncontroversial. There’s a thought-provoking and interesting exchange of views with some of the MIT crowd:

http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2007/pesetsky-ling.html
http://ling.auf.net/lingBuzz/000411
http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/004387.html

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