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The Last Man on Earth To Speak His Language (axios.com)

From a report: An elderly man in Peru named Amadeo Garcia Garcia is the last person on earth to speak his native language, Taushiro, the NY Times' Nicholas Casey reports in a remarkable long-read. A combination of disease and exploitation have led the Taushiro, a tribe of hunter-gatherers in the Amazon, to the verge of extinction. In the last century, at least 37 languages have disappeared in Peru alone, lost in the steady clash and churn of national expansion, migration, urbanization and the pursuit of natural resources.

177 comments

  1. Sorry ... by CaptainDork · · Score: 1, Redundant

    ... what did you say?

    --
    It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
    1. Re:Sorry ... by Aighearach · · Score: 2

      He said every dialect is its own language, and if everybody in your neighborhood moved to neighborhoods with a slightly different dialect, your "language" died.

    2. Re:Sorry ... by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

      I remember when the music died.

      --
      It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
  2. Guess heâ(TM)ll never get laid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    but then if he ever did, this wouldnâ(TM)t be an issue would it

    1. Re: Guess heâ(TM)ll never get laid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why are you trademarking these strange words?

    2. Re: Guess heâ(TM)ll never get laid by ArchieBunker · · Score: 1

      The janitors who run this site can't be bothered to fix some unicode text bug. It is literally the only website on the internet where I've seen this happen. Probably a five minute fix.

      --
      Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
  3. growing old is lonely by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    but this must be an extra lonely feeling

  4. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You do understand that what happened was a tax CUT, correct? Maybe a few coasties are going to pay more, but by and large these are the people who have benefited the most up until now under Obama and they'll be fine. Mostly people that have grossly inflated home prices and/or taxes.

  5. Not really bad. by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Of the things that are going extinct, speakers of a particular language are not of great concern. Some people may see it as a tragedy but we aren't really losing much of anything. It's more romanticism over something interesting more than anything else.

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    1. Re:Not really bad. by Aighearach · · Score: 2

      They always leave out, or carefully word, the fact that the main cause is that the living relatives of the past speakers don't find value in speaking it.

      Compare it to Irish, which nobody was allowed to speak for generations, but when they got their freedom they wanted to learn it again!

    2. Re:Not really bad. by Quirkz · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I'll admit I don't feel much twinge about losing a language. Now, cultures dying out, maybe, and associated stories and traditions, definitely, I can see how there's some value being lost. But at some level I feel like more languages just leads to more confusion, and the fewer of them we have, the more likely it is we'll understand each other.

    3. Re:Not really bad. by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 0

      These obscure languages cause speakers to be economically and socially marginalized. They are better off learning a mainstream language, and devoting time to learning economically useful skills rather than learning a language that is only spoken by a handful of families.

      When a language dwindles to a few dozen speakers, we should video record a few hours of conversation and put it up on Youtube for future linguists to study, and then move on.

    4. Re:Not really bad. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Of the things that are going extinct, speakers of a particular language are not of great concern. Some people may see it as a tragedy but we aren't really losing much of anything. It's more romanticism over something interesting more than anything else.

      A language lost is no big deal....right up until the point where it becomes a big deal.

      Human ignorance is what ensures hindsight will always see with perfect clarity.

    5. Re:Not really bad. by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      1) A few hours of conversation are not of much use. 2) Learning an additional first language hasn't been shown to be taxing in any way to children, including time spent.

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    6. Re:Not really bad. by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

      Learning an additional first language hasn't been shown to be taxing in any way to children, including time spent.

      Then they should learn a second mainstream language that will actually be useful. Spanish+English will lead to far more life opportunities than Spanish+Taushiro.

      It is easy to say that some impoverished child in a tribe half a world away should learn a useless language. But instead, how about you teach YOUR child an obscure language? Suddenly it doesn't seem like such a great idea.

    7. Re:Not really bad. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not of concern to you, but some find value in understanding different forms of communication. The different ways in which people communicate can provide new insight into ways we can enhance communication. While I appreciate you sharing your opinion, please consider using terms that demonstrate your statements are opinion, not fact. Thank you

    8. Re:Not really bad. by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      Then they should learn a second mainstream language that will actually be useful. Spanish+English will lead to far more life opportunities than Spanish+Taushiro.

      They can always pick a second language, but in a Spanish+Taushiro speaking region, there aren't many primary English speakers to be found. It's perfectly possible for a Spanish+Taushiro primary bilingual to acquire English as a second language.

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    9. Re:Not really bad. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But instead, how about you teach YOUR child an obscure language?

      You've convinced me, I'm going to go home tonight and start teaching my 4yo COBOL, ADA and Erlang.

    10. Re:Not really bad. by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

      in a Spanish+Taushiro speaking region ...

      There is no "region". There is one guy.

      Should other people learn the language to "keep it alive"? I don't think so.

    11. Re:Not really bad. by pz · · Score: 4

      Language is the same as culture. Or, perhaps better put, language is inextricably mixed with culture.

      Yes, it is possible to experience a culture without speaking the language, but that experience is muted and without depth. Language and culture grow into and out of each other. One might argue nuances, such as various dialects of American English supporting the variety of cultures in the different corners of the US, but without a unifying language across a population, a deep, resilient culture does not develop.

      My favorite example of this is the deaf versus blind populations. Blind people do not have a unifying culture that is starkly separate from the normal embedding culture, but deaf people do. Why? Because blind people communicate in their normal, native language whereas deaf people have a distinct language (i.e., sign language) that, with regional variations, defines subcultures that are separate and apart from the mainstream.

      --

      Put my fist through my alarm clock with its ding-dong death inside my ear. - The Blackjacks.
    12. Re:Not really bad. by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      There is no "region".

      Well, not anymore.

      Should other people learn the language to "keep it alive"? I don't think so.

      Obviously, it's too late for that now.

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    13. Re:Not really bad. by war4peace · · Score: 1

      Is culture defined by language, is language defined by culture or both?

      --
      ...gis sdrawkcab (usually not responding to ACs; don't bother posting as AC)
    14. Re:Not really bad. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Language models the brain. In consequence, when we lose a language we lose a way of thinking. And that's a tragedy for the humanity as whole.
      I recommend you a BBC series called "Planet Word". They explained why losing a language is a tragedy far better than me.

    15. Re:Not really bad. by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      Compare it to Irish, which nobody was allowed to speak for generations, but when they got their freedom they wanted to learn it again!

      And it's only taken them a century to get up to 3%!

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    16. Re:Not really bad. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's also perfectly possible for *you* to learn Taushiro and help prevent its extinction. You up for it?

    17. Re:Not really bad. by Kjella · · Score: 2

      But at some level I feel like more languages just leads to more confusion, and the fewer of them we have, the more likely it is we'll understand each other.

      I don't think it's the long tail that is the source of confusion, it's agreeing on a common tongue. Like Europe has a ton of small national languages, but you get by on English pretty much everywhere. I mean if you speak a language only spoken by a few million or less you have a pretty high motivation to learn a world language. It's the medium size languages that are problematic, like if tens or hundreds of millions speak the same language it's not worth the effort. You'll do fine knowing "just" Portugese, Russian, Arabic, Tamil, Urdu, Thai etc. that'll never be #1 but is still plenty. That said, there's not many competitors to English but the world is moving very slowly in any direction.

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
    18. Re:Not really bad. by denzacar · · Score: 1

      It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a sapphire Klingon.

      --
      Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
    19. Re:Not really bad. by TommyNelson · · Score: 2

      Apart from being incredibly callous, these remarks say more about you than they do about the subject matter, which is not just about losing a language, a culture, a people. Its about how and why these things were lost. I definitely recommend to RTFA before issuing such inane comments.

    20. Re:Not really bad. by gman003 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Language studies are valuable.

      Languages evolve slowly, so they act as evidence for human migration patterns. The exact details of the migration into the Americas is still under debate, and languages form quite a bit of evidence. Consider the extent of the Dene-Yeniseian language family - members exist in parts of Siberia, Alaska, Canada and Southwest America (Navajo is the most well-known of these languages). This is good evidence that humans entered the continent from Siberia - but also good evidence that the migration occurred in at least two distinct, widely-separated waves, as no DY language is known in South America or eastern North America. Perhaps Taushiro, the Peruvian language the article focuses on, could have provided evidence for or against that theory.

      Languages also tell us things about the human brain. There are languages with no words for relative position (eg. left or right), but speakers can simply use absolute position (eg. east or west), and more interestingly, do so correctly. Apparently keeping track of your heading is something you can just do, if your language and lifestyle require it. There was quite a bit of uproar when a study of a certain Amazon language completely upended a lot of theories about human syntax - specifically, the language seemed to not allow recursion. Every sentence is a simple declarative, not allowing things like this sub-clause you're reading right now. (I will note that the study was not very rigorous, and ongoing follow-up studies may prove it false - some of the other claims are already overturned.) But, either way, we learn something about the human mind and its capacity for language.

    21. Re:Not really bad. by JustOK · · Score: 1

      What if it was the only language in which the answer to life, the universe and everything could be expressed?

      --
      rewriting history since 2109
    22. Re: Not really bad. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The slashdot censorship system at its finest.

      Hi whiplash.

    23. Re:Not really bad. by luis_a_espinal · · Score: 2

      Of the things that are going extinct, speakers of a particular language are not of great concern. Some people may see it as a tragedy but we aren't really losing much of anything. It's more romanticism over something interesting more than anything else.

      There is also a linguistic and anthropological value being lost when a language is no longer spoken. In this specific case, the loss is more tragic considering that the language loss has been caused by disease and exploitation (rather than a pure language shift done for economic, social or utilitarian reasons.)

      Such losses cannot be ascribed a monetary value, which is why a) the loss is invaluable and b) almost always inevitable.

    24. Re:Not really bad. by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      and help prevent its extinction

      Too late for that. And I prefer Scottish Gaelic anyway.

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    25. Re: Not really bad. by Type44Q · · Score: 1
      Q: Why did God invent whiskey?

      A: So the Irish would never rule the world.

    26. Re:Not really bad. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There is, or was this other language among an Amazon tribe that couldn't represent the religious (Christian) concepts as the users of the language were proselytized. Losing that language would be a real shame.

    27. Re:Not really bad. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It is a big tragedy when a language dies, because we lose all of the local knowledge of animals, plants, insects, weather, medicinal herbs, songs, stories, earthquakes, meteors that they knew and no-one else knew.

      Songs and stories can be analyzed for changes to nearby stories to work out people movements in the distant past.

      None of that was romanticism - just practicalities of prerseving human wisdom and experience

    28. Re:Not really bad. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The fact that they live in a remote part of the jungle causes them to be economically and socially marginalized. It also keeps their unique tribal language alive. Deforestation and the belief that being economically active participants in civilized society by begging on the streets of Lima is inherently more valuable than their traditional culture is what is killing the language and the identity of the people.

    29. Re:Not really bad. by yes-but-no · · Score: 1

      such a language cannot die, by definition.

    30. Re:Not really bad. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'll admit I don't feel much twinge about losing a language. Now, cultures dying out, maybe, and associated stories and traditions, definitely.

      But languages and cultures are intimately linked. You can't get the culture of the Pirahã, without understanding the language. Their language is tonal, and they can communicate entirely by whistling, replacing words with tones of the whistling. Only men are allowed to whistle. Women have another form that they use exclusively among them and with their children (teenage boys stop using this form to start the whistling). How do you keep a culture like this solely with English? This link between culture and language is too intimate.

      A simpler example: Portuguese and Spanish have two forms of the verb to be, one for permanent things (ser, e.g. I am American) and one for temporary things (estar, e.g. I am sick). Neither English or French have this. You can't, thus, translate some nuances from these languages to English and some of this is most likely going to be embedded in the culture itself (I'm not in favor of the strong Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, but the weak one has some merit).

      Just because you can't bring yourself to learn a language, it doesn't mean there isn't value in doing so. To do a car analogy, just because I don't have a driver's license it doesn't mean there's no value on having cars on our society. Languages (some, at least) are very beautiful and the different constructions of different languages even teach you stuff about your own language. Losing those is losing culture.

    31. Re:Not really bad. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Language is usually a major component of culture.

    32. Re:Not really bad. by lsatenstein · · Score: 1

      I'll admit I don't feel much twinge about losing a language. Now, cultures dying out, maybe, and associated stories and traditions, definitely, I can see how there's some value being lost. But at some level I feel like more languages just leads to more confusion, and the fewer of them we have, the more likely it is we'll understand each other.

      So why are Americans losing the speaking of English. Are you gonna tell me it ain't so?

      --
      Leslie Satenstein Montreal Quebec Canada
    33. Re:Not really bad. by Quirkz · · Score: 1

      I'm sorry, but I don't really understand your question, or how it's tied to what you quoted.

    34. Re:Not really bad. by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      Irish people are proud of their right to speak bad Irish, they really don't care what anybody thinks of it.

      Gaelic isn't really a language that lends itself to true forms anyways...

    35. Re: Not really bad. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The way a language Is constructed models your way of thinking. I have seen that learning new languages ( currently I speak 6) has led me to think differently, as there are words that have abstract concepts that only exist in a certain language that makes it easier to mentally work with that concept.

      By losing a language we are losing a concrete mental model of the world that could help us tackle specific problems. And thatâ(TM)s a problem for my engineering brain.

    36. Re:Not really bad. by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      Irish people are proud of their right to speak bad Irish

      Clearly not, or more of them would.

      Gaelic isn't really a language that lends itself to true forms anyways...

      Not sure what that's even supposed to mean.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    37. Re:Not really bad. by Quirkz · · Score: 1

      Just because you can't bring yourself to learn a language, it doesn't mean there isn't value in doing so.

      Hey, now, I never said that at all. My point was more toward what the state of the world would be if we had only a few hundred or a few thousand major ones, as opposed to the roughly 7,000 languages that exist now.

      To go with your analogy, I recognize the value of having several dozen or hundreds of different models of car and truck, but if we had 7,000 different models at a dealership, I'd readily argue that many of them could disappear without the world being worse off in a significant way. Languages obviously bring more nuance and insight to the world than a model of car, but I wonder if the top 1,000 or do don't adequately cover most of the variety that you would find in the remaining 6,000.

    38. Re:Not really bad. by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      Right, you didn't understand what I said. That's every time your purport to have read any of it.

      The part that isn't clear is, why do you respond to your own ignorance with your nose in the air as if you're some sort of natural authority about something? You're consistently clueless about the literal meaning of clear statements.

      And you obviously don't speak for the Irish, if you think I'm wrong go to Ireland and find out, or read a fucking book for once in your life and you might even, as I have, read books that talk about Irish history and the Irish language and how pervasive partial literacy is today, even though it has little to no practical utility.

  6. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Donald Trump cut his taxes by raising ours so millions are racing to pre-pay their 2018 property taxes before the Trump tax increase goes into effect.

    If you don't care that Trump is a Russian owned traitor, could you at least have some consideration for the millions of Americans whose taxes are increasing so Trump can put more money into his pockets, and the pockets of Republican donors?

    Traitor! Tax Raiser! Idiot!

    Ahh, so this is the latest set of lame anti-Trump talking points.

    I guess "Russia! Russia! Russia!" is finally going to go away?

    Well, mostly, anyway.

    And I suppose the progtards must really be afraid that Trump's tax reform will actually work, and lay bare the folly of Obama's attempted "remaking" of the US economy along "progressive" lines.

  7. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Maybe a few coasties are going to pay more, but by and large these are the people who have benefited the most up until now under Obama and they'll be fine.

    No, actually most of the bottom quintiles will pay more.

  8. if all cultures are equally valuable... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    then no value is lost when one culture replaces another.

  9. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No, we outraged that Donald Trump is raising our taxes.

    You clearly support Donald Trump's treasonous collusion with Russia's attacks on America.

    Could you at least spare a thought for the millions or Americans whose taxes are being increased so that their money can be funneled to Donald Trump and his donors?

  10. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  11. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I think you're confused, he raised the standard deduction but that means it's a tax cut. Less of your income will be taxed, therefore less taxes. Rates were left alone or in some cases lowered. Just read the details a little more closely and don't jump to conclusions, you will get it. My taxes are dropping about $1,500.

  12. Spoken vs Written by WoodstockJeff · · Score: 1, Insightful

    If a spoken language "goes extinct", if there was no written language that accompanied it, the main "problem" would be, "how would I be fluent enough to communicate with these people when I use my time machine to visit them when they spoke language X?"

    The written language, and the history written in it, that is a bit more of a problem for future of that culture. Assuming there are written histories, working with this "last native speaker" to build a base for translation would be a good idea.

    1. Re:Spoken vs Written by idji · · Score: 2

      if you've only got one speaker left, record everything he has to say about every possible topic.

  13. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Read the tax law a few years out, your taxes will increase by $3000 due to this law.

    And again, millions of Americans are seeing their taxes increase because of this law and are rushing to pre-pay taxes because their tax increases are so significant.

    This is a day 1 tax increase for at least 10,000,000 Americans. By year 3 it's a tax increase for most of us. By year 7 it's a massive tax increase for everybody except Donald Trump and his very wealthy campaign contributors who will be pocketing our tax money.

  14. How do you know? by c6gunner · · Score: 1, Troll

    If he's the only one who speaks his native language, how can anyone know that he actually speaks it? He could just be babbling in complete gibberish, and everyone would be standing there going ... aww, how sad ... nobody else speaks his language any more ...

    1. Re:How do you know? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Cause they started studying the language BEFORE the rest of the village died? The answers in your questions are... DUNH DUNH DUUUNNNNNHHHHHHHHHH in the article.

      Captcha:Dumber

    2. Re:How do you know? by HornWumpus · · Score: 1, Troll

      They didn't die. They just didn't bother learning the gibberish that grandpa speaks as it has no value to them.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    3. Re: How do you know? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He doesn't necessarily have to be monolingual, does he?

    4. Re:How do you know? by religionofpeas · · Score: 1

      Ask him to translate something in his native language, record it, and then a few weeks later, ask him to translate it back.

    5. Re:How do you know? by freedom4us · · Score: 0

      Go read the article. They wouldn't bother to learn spanish too if only the rubber tapper capitalist slavers and stupid Christian missionaries tried to rule or convert them. They even wouldnt have known what alcohol is which just ruined the last survivor. i.e. the natives of North America, jobless, alcoholic. Its the capitalist and religious sickness that destroys everybody on this planet.

  15. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by ganjadude · · Score: 0

    he isnt raising your taxes. CBS tried to find people who would pay more in taxes for an expose and found they would all save money

    --
    have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
  16. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    You can call it a tax cut till your blue in the face, it raises MY taxes, along with many others, so its a tax HIKE.

    Note: I make roughly the median national salary and I don't live on a coast.

  17. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You do understand that what happened was a tax CUT, correct? Maybe a few coasties are going to pay more, but by and large these are the people who have benefited the most up until now under Obama and they'll be fine. Mostly people that have grossly inflated home prices and/or taxes.

    The only thing that has happened, is the usual bullshit smoke and mirrors. On the surface it may appear as a tax cut, but in reality it is nothing more than a new set of laws that enable the rich to get richer. Don't think for a second the measly benefit the masses get out of this didn't result in considerable benefits for the wealthy. In the long run, the poor and middle class will pay.

  18. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Your problem is that you have been conned into supporting a massive tax increase on yourself by a known scam artist.

  19. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by ganjadude · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    the only people who will see their taxes go up due to property taxes are those in places where property taxes are over 10 grand a year. meaning the rich people! i mean, i thought the democrats wanted the rich to pay their fair share, and now that they have to they are spinning it (big shock)

    I live in NY, most peoples taxes are not over 10 grand, most peoples taxes are under 8 grand. if you got a beef with the cost of your property taxes, its not the feds you need to be mad at its your local state officials who allowed the property taxes to get that high to begin with

    --
    have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
  20. Re: Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Jesus fuck. Stop replying to this shit.

  21. A good thing by The+Fat+Bastid · · Score: 0

    Great. The sooner we can all understand each other the better the world will be. I'm not commenting on the merits of any individual language but on the fact that unity is strength, but hard. The more we all get together the better we can make the world itself. There is too much division.

    1. Re:A good thing by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Diversity is strength. Wildly different people all together are the best. When everyone speaks the same language and is on the same page, that is a terrible loss of culture. It is incumbent upon us all to keep these languages alive and breathing, and keep these cultures from being annihilated by the Western behemoth.

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    2. Re:A good thing by The+Fat+Bastid · · Score: 0

      True, I didn't touch on the topics of why (westernization, extinction, etc.) or the impact on the culture. Can a culture be preserved without its language?

    3. Re:A good thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Western behemoth? You know why they speak Spanish in most of South America right?

    4. Re:A good thing by jader3rd · · Score: 1

      But how much diversity? I can accept that if everyone spoke one language that we might not advance as a species as quickly. But there's a difference between losing one of the 7,000 remaining spoken languages and everyone speaking one language. What if we were able to reduce the number of spoken languages to the current predominate 20. Would that provide sufficient diversity?

    5. Re:A good thing by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      You know why they speak Spanish in most of South America right?

      Yeah, everybody knows why they speak Spanish in most of South America. It's because the Spanish brutalized most of the continent for the better part of three centuries.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      http://www.mesacc.edu/~thoqh49...

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    6. Re:A good thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Diversity is strength. Wildly different people all together are the best. When everyone speaks the same language and is on the same page, that is a terrible loss of culture. It is incumbent upon us all to keep these languages alive and breathing, and keep these cultures from being annihilated by the Western behemoth.

      When you really look at it, diversity mainly holds value from a biological standpoint (e.g. we've already seen what happens when a family tree doesn't fork.)

      Diversity in culture has guaranteed one common reaction across thousands of years; warmongering.

      Yes, we humans who insist on acting different always seem to resort to bloodshed in order to try and prove which flavor of diversity is the "right" one. We should have fucking learned by now that diversity isn't always a good thing.

    7. Re:A good thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nonsense. Left wing drivel. You were clearly brainwashed as a child.

    8. Re:A good thing by war4peace · · Score: 2

      Everyone speaking the same language AND being on the same page is a HUUUGE assumption.
      The Declaration of Independence alone proves your assumption wrong.

      --
      ...gis sdrawkcab (usually not responding to ACs; don't bother posting as AC)
    9. Re:A good thing by war4peace · · Score: 1

      I can accept that if everyone spoke one language that we might not advance as a species as quickly.

      Why not?

      --
      ...gis sdrawkcab (usually not responding to ACs; don't bother posting as AC)
    10. Re:A good thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Great. The sooner we can all understand each other the better the world will be. I'm not commenting on the merits of any individual language but on the fact that unity is strength, but hard. The more we all get together the better we can make the world itself. There is too much division.

      Indeed.

      The many languages of mankind was a punishment meted out by God for getting too uppity with the Tower of Babel (and other things.)

      Losing some language barely anybody speaks has less economic, cultural, and scientific impact than cancelling Firefly.

    11. Re:A good thing by jbmartin6 · · Score: 1

      By all means, feel free to go over there and learn one or more of these languages. I'm not clear how else you expect to realize your imperialist vision of 'keeping these languages alive', unless you mean forcing someone else to learn them.

      --
      This posting is provided 'AS IS' without warranty of any kind, implied or otherwise.
    12. Re:A good thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You think differently in a different language.
      Concept may exist that doesn't in other language.
      You may have a different mindset because of that, thus making discovery other would failed to do.

    13. Re: A good thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Diversity sucks! What planet are you living on?

    14. Re:A good thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Defense of one's language over international pressures and various occupiers is usually associated with (romantic) nationalism, and as such is something a traditional right winger would do.

    15. Re:A good thing by jader3rd · · Score: 1

      Language does affect mindset. I can see how certain advancements, like certain mathematical principles or technological advancements, would take longer (if at all?) with a population all having the same language. The languages you speak do shade how you look at the world. I am in no position to claim that given enough time, all known advancements would happen under any language - nor am I claiming that one language will have a monopoly on all advancements - but it certainly seems like some languages do lead towards outside of the box thinking in different ways than others.

    16. Re:A good thing by war4peace · · Score: 1

      We're assuming it's languages affecting mindset. I'm not saying it isn't, but my truly non-professional gut feeling says language is affected by culture and environment, not the other way around.

      --
      ...gis sdrawkcab (usually not responding to ACs; don't bother posting as AC)
  22. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Trump's plan will successfully put the US into trillions of more debt. That sounds smart. We'll end up having to borrow more from China and he'll probably borrow from Russia too.

  23. Re:happening in america too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Then there will be nothing to stop Menendez style Democrat corruption from sweeping the country and it joins its neighbors as a corrupt and impoverished shithole.

  24. Blame liberals. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is what happens when you have weak borders, race mixing, gay marrage, etc.

    1. Re: Blame liberals. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Iâ(TM)ll be happy to see a headline that says âoeLast man on earth to be a liberal diesâ.

  25. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Not the only, the first tax increases affect those with high local taxes. But local taxes, especially property taxes aren't predicated on income, just on property value.

    And again you are talking about how people should oppose high taxes when you support a law that increases their taxes. Typically these people are already carrying their tax load, which is what causes them to get day 1 tax increases in the first place.

    After the very short scam period where you appear to pay lower taxes, all of our tax rates are increased massively by this legislation.

    This is a simple con, and not only that but far from wanting to cut taxes you are actually supporting higher taxes on millions of Americans who already pay high taxes.

    You fuck rube! You may think you are fucking over the liberal elites you hate, but look 3 years into this evil tax increase and see how high your taxes soar!

  26. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Your problem is you listen to morons too much as that isnt even close to how it is working.

    I did the math, and how it works for my family [upper middle class] is that we end up paying about $6k more per year.
    As the "cut" is not budget-neutral, that means my extra $6k of tax is going somewhere, and the upper-income earners and businesses are the ones who are getting breaks on taxes. Doesn't sound like a cut to me. The law also makes things "simpler" only by discouraging people from filing itemized deductions.

  27. Re:So sad! by Tablizer · · Score: 1

    No, we'll mutate into grumpy little elves who eat your pets at 3am.

  28. Happens twice a month by kaur · · Score: 4, Informative

    https://livinglanguages.wordpr...

    This estimation can be wrong in many ways, but the point remains: languages do die all the time.

  29. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So people are rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes for fun?

    Your bullshit excuses won't cut it. Millions of Americans are getting tax increases on January 1s and the rest of us face steep increases in the next few years.

    And for what? So that a known traitor can line his pockets and the pockets of his donors with our money?

  30. Re:So sad! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Followed by the rest of humanity dying off as they have to sort out their own food... Like in Zimbabwe.

  31. Re:happening in america too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    it joins its neighbors as a corrupt and impoverished shithole.

    USA currently has the worst education and the worst infant mortality rates on the continent, there's nowhere to go but up

  32. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by ganjadude · · Score: 1, Troll

    im not rich by any means. and im going to save about 2 grand a year under the new plan. over 80% of americans are going to save money. the only ones who are not are those rich folks in states that have high property taxes. and thats hardly the fault of the feds, take it up with your state. if your house costs more than 750K or your property taxes are over 10K.... you ARE rich, and now you will be paying your fair share. isnt that what the left wanted???

    --
    have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
  33. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by ganjadude · · Score: 0

    im lower middle class and im gonna save 2 grand a year.

    --
    have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
  34. Little value lost by sjbe · · Score: 0

    I'll admit I don't feel much twinge about losing a language.

    Agreed with the exception that sometimes we lose historical information when we lose a language. But in most cases little of value is lost. If it wasn't important enough for people to learn, odds are good it wasn't important in general.

    at some level I feel like more languages just leads to more confusion, and the fewer of them we have, the more likely it is we'll understand each other.

    Excellent point. Speaking a different language makes it just a bit easier to engage in pointless tribalism and we really don't need more of that. If the cost of people getting along better is to lose a bunch of minor languages then that is a cost I'm more than willing to pay.

    1. Re:Little value lost by tender-matser · · Score: 2

      But in most cases little of value is lost. If it wasn't important enough for people to learn, odds are good it wasn't important in general.

      That is the "best of all possible worlds" fallacy. In other words, for someone living in a cage or a basement, learning to swim or ride a bicycle is not "important" enough.

      Excellent point. Speaking a different language makes it just a bit easier to engage in pointless tribalism and we really don't need more of that.

      Tribalism has nothing to do with language or culture.

      Rwanda is probably the only country in Africa where everybody speaks the same language and dialect, and has the same culture. That didn't prevent the most horrible genocide from happening just there.

      The same with Bosnia in Europe.

      The fact that Unionists and Republicans in Ulster speak the same language didn't bring them together; the level of distrust and segregation is ridiculous and mind-boggling, even for a third-worlder like me.

      Most Catalans, Ukrainians, Irish, etc aren't really speaking their languages in everyday life anymore (despite being forced to learn them in school); and that rather exarcerbated nationalism instead of preventing it.

      Most French of "foreign descent" that are populating the depressed "banlieues" are not able to speak any other language than French (and neither were their parents). But that doesn't mean they're accepted as full-fledged citizens; they're still 'Arabs' for all intents and purposes.

  35. Just adding debt by sjbe · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    im not rich by any means. and im going to save about 2 grand a year under the new plan. over 80% of americans are going to save money.

    No they aren't. It just means we're going to have to borrow more which will need to be repaid later. They didn't cut medicare or defense or social security which account for around 3/4 of the federal budget so all they did was incur additional debt, most likely to burden future generations. Collectively we save nothing and any "savings" you realize will simply have to be picked up by someone else somewhere down the line.

    1. Re:Just adding debt by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      OH, now you want to balance the budget after 8 years if 1T deficit?

    2. Re:Just adding debt by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      After 8 years of reducing the deficit each year, yes we want to prevent this law's massive increase to the deficit.

      Republicans somehow found a way to increase the deficit and raise middle class taxes through some profound corruption and a completely broken moral compass.

      This is an astonishing level of contempt for the American people, corruptly funneling our tax money to their campaign contributors.

    3. Re: Just adding debt by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Who put us in that deficit after Clinton had us in the green? I believe bush with his endless war mongering. Obama just picked up the tab and tab and ran wit it.

  36. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by ganjadude · · Score: 1

    if you are getting a tax increase due to property taxes, you cant blame the fed on that you blame your state for having horribly high taxes.

    as for the increases after the cuts expire... well, get congress to make the cuts permanent. the only reason they arent is because the democrats refused to allow it to happen. if 8 democrats voted yes, it could have been made permanent but they didn't. so blame them for that

    stop trying to blame the republicans who actually got something accomplished here when its the democrats who put in the road blocks (And its the democrat states that have the high property taxes, so complain to your local politicians to lower property tax rates)

    --
    have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
  37. Re: Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No.
    1.5 trillion, if it lasts 20 years unaltered, and the economy grows at only 2% annually.
    You do understand that Congress can change it next year, and every year after, right?

  38. Re:happening in america too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you subtract blacks from United States stats it ranks equally with Western European countries. You have to compare apples to apples.

  39. Re: Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Lotta Halfwits are payin dare taxez early cuz dare scayered" really isn't proof of what your claiming. It just means that "many" listened to fear-mongers such as yourself, and now they're scared. Even though there's no reason to be.

  40. Re: So sad! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Funny. I'll bet you're a white European lesbian.

  41. Re: Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Their accountants advised them on how to temporarily delay the higher taxes imposed by the Trump
    Tax Increase. This isn't panic, it's simple arithmetic.

    Simple math compels people save money by doing what they can to delay their Trump Tax hit.

  42. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You're a moron apologizing for billionaires giving themselves hundreds of millions in tax breaks as everyone else gets screwed. You're a FUCKING IDIOT.

  43. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You can call it a tax hike till your blue in the face, it lowers MY taxes, along with many others, so its a tax CUT.

  44. Re:Good by kaur · · Score: 1

    European languages and dialects die all the same.
    A small language next to me (Livonian) went extinct in 2013.

  45. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Quirkz · · Score: 0

    Are the full changes out and in some place where I can look them up? I've heard about the details in little dribs and drabs. Where can I plug in my numbers and find out how the final bill will affect me?

  46. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Over 80% of Americans will briefly save money, and then the bill will come due. Thanks for being a lying shill.

  47. They should teach him to program in BLISS or COBOL by Trailer+Trash · · Score: 1

    They should teach him to program in BLISS or COBOL, just to add some irony.

  48. Re:So sad! by Tenebrousedge · · Score: 1

    The blatant trolls don't work as well here.

    --
    Those who advocate genocide deserve every protection afforded by law, and none afforded by common human decency.
  49. Re: Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by HornWumpus · · Score: 0, Troll

    You realize that prepaying income taxes does _nothing_ to the amount you owe? Unless your required to pay quarterly, then it saves you some interest and fees, still doesn't affect your return.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  50. Re:They should teach him to program in BLISS or CO by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Teach the last man to program in Bliss or Cobol, so he can get on craigslist to look for a job.
     
    Today's captcha is clowning, and I am dead serious.

  51. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No, it isn't moron. Cutting your taxes by increasing other people's taxes is not a tax cut.

    And I'm 95% sure you either are purposely ignoring the massive tax increases we all have scheduled for years 5-7 or are simply too stupid to understand that you are actively supporting a tax increase on yourself.

  52. Re: Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It makes a difference if your taxes are scheduled to increase the next year, which for millions of Americans is the immediate impact of the Trump Tax Hike.

  53. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And then you will pay 4 grand a year more after the Trump Tax's through the next few years' scheduled tax increases.

    You have been conned into supporting a massive tax increase on yourself.

  54. No biggy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    His unintelligible babble just added to the background noise. In life there are winners and losers. This dude chose poorly.

  55. Passing debt to your children by sjbe · · Score: 1

    OH, now you want to balance the budget after 8 years if 1T deficit?

    8 years? Try 30+ years. We've been running huge and increasing deficits since the Reagan administration. And no the annual increase for the last 8 years was about $500-600 billion - roughly the amount we spend on defense annually. They've recently become bigger because the Bush administration decided to start two wars in the Middle East and didn't raise taxes to pay for them. Then there was all the stimulus to keep the economy running after the crash in 2008 with again, no taxes to compensate because republicans break out in hives if you mention the words "raise taxes" even when it is the responsible thing to do. So we continue to borrow to keep everything running with no end in sight. Right now the federal debt stands at around $18.9 trillion which means every man, woman and child in the US owes approximately $63,000. Lowering taxes will not lessen this problem.

  56. Re: Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by peragrin · · Score: 1

    Except that for an average of $55k a year income which is the country single average you get a savings of $200 annually stretched out over 52 paycheckes means your paycheck goes up a whopping $3.85

    You can't buy a Whopper for that much.

    Those who beneifit are the wealthy who save Tens of thousands of dollars.

    Look up and do the math. It isn't hard and the actual numbers will scare you.

    --
    i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
  57. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Vast majority have a cut. If it increases your taxes, then you must be wealthy and I bet you're one of those that think the wealthy should pay more, so there is that.

  58. Re: Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by ganjadude · · Score: 1

    you keep saying this but you are just fear mongering.

    --
    have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
  59. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by ganjadude · · Score: 1

    there are no scheduled increases, this is a lye. the tax cuts will expire (thanks to the democrats all voting no) but there are not any tax increases over the next few years that is pure FUD

    --
    have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
  60. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    it raises MY taxes

    Bullshit. You're an AC. A personal anecdote from you is meaningless.

  61. The Last Man on Earth to Speak His Language by PopeRatzo · · Score: 4, Funny

    And with his dying breath, he whispered one word..."covfefe".

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  62. Re: Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No, it doesn't. You'll still owe the balance.

  63. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You are lying to yourself, idiot. Look it up.

  64. Re: Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Liberalism is a cancer that needs to be stamped out. One punched face at a time.

  65. boohoo by mapkinase · · Score: 0

    How stupid are idiots who are mourning disappearance of rare shit?

    --
    I do not believe in karma. "Funny"=-6. Do good and forbid evil. Yours, Oft-Offtopic Flamebaiting Troll.
  66. Good thing too. by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

    Another six thousand or so and we can dump unicode.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  67. tower of babel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Don't forget that the big man in the sky made us all speak different languages on purpose because we were trying to build a tower up to his kingdom or whatever. According to the story, he intends for us to all be confused and unable to understand each other (and work together.) Let it happen, it's the big man's will. /s

  68. Re: Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  69. Bidirectional overrides (5:erocS) by tepples · · Score: 2

    The Slashdot team is disincentivized to fix character encoding issues because last time they improved character encoding support, the result was moderation score spoofing through bidirectional overrides. If you want Unicode, you could always give SoylentNews a try.

    1. Re:Bidirectional overrides (5:erocS) by ArchieBunker · · Score: 1

      So how does every other website handle this problem? I read Soylentnews all the time, they have better trolls than this place which is pretty sad.

      --
      Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
  70. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by ranton · · Score: 1

    You do understand that what happened was a tax CUT, correct?

    If you think this was a tax cut, then I guess if I put $10k on my credit cards next year you would consider that a $10k raise. At best you could call this a stimulus plan. It certainly isn't a tax cut because many people will be paying more. But the vast majority of people will see their taxes reduced slightly for the next decade, and then the vast majority will see their taxes increased slightly after that. That said, it doesn't take a hard look to see the distribution of this stimulus is heavily skewed towards the wealthy who see a greater net benefit and percent reduction in this plan.

    Considering giving money to the wealthy has a poor fiscal multiplier effect, as compared to giving money to the poor and middle class, it is clear the goal of this bill was not to stimulate the economy. The average $50k-75k income household will see a 1.8% reduction in taxes, while a $1M+ household will see a 3.3% reduction. In real dollars that is a difference between $870 in savings and $69,660. Considering stimulus money given to the middle class has a much greater fiscal multiplier than giving money to the wealthy, it is as I said clear that economic stimulus was not the intent of the bill.

    This bill was nothing more than a tax cut to wealthy donors paid for in small part by upper middle class blue state voters and in larger part financed by federal debt. Around $50-$100 per month was given to working and middle class families so Republicans could misleadingly claim that everyone benefits from the plan by ignoring it is only a minor gain in the short term. Kind of like paying for a more lavish lifestyle with credit card debt. The real long term gains go to the wealthy.

    Most people are never going to look at the bill in enough detail to know specifically how this bill screws them in the long term. For the average person as long as they understand the bill is a massive tax cut for the wealthy paid for by increasing wealth inequality, they are at least well informed enough to vote in their own interest.

    --
    -- All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. -- Edmund Burke
  71. Sapir-Worf hypothesis by tepples · · Score: 1

    Is culture defined by language, is language defined by culture or both?

    The Sapir-Worf hypothesis is that English and Klingon are not "sufficiently similar to be considered as representing the same social reality."

  72. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by ranton · · Score: 1

    So people are rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes for fun?

    Technically even people who see their taxes go down in 2018 can get a big tax break by paying their property taxes early this year. The higher standard deduction coupled with higher child tax credit will cause many people who currently itemize to save money by taking the standard deduction next year. But since they won't deduct any property taxes (not even the $10k maximum amount), then deducting them on their 2017 taxes would save them big.

    I for instance will have my base taxes go up about $800 next year, but will now get $4000 in child tax credits because of the increase to both the amount and the maximum income to qualify (my MAGI is above $110k). So my taxes are going down by about $3200 next year. But if I pay my 2017 property taxes early, that is potentially $12k in extra deductions reducing my taxes by an additional $3360. So in this case I would benefit in both 2017 and 2018.

    In truth I am already hit with alternative minimum taxes, so I cannot deduct extra property taxes in 2017 anyway. But there are plenty of people who don't have as many deductions and personal exemptions as I do who can save thousands this year by paying hteir 2017 property taxes early.

    --
    -- All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. -- Edmund Burke
  73. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by ranton · · Score: 1

    as for the increases after the cuts expire... well, get congress to make the cuts permanent. the only reason they arent is because the democrats refused to allow it to happen. if 8 democrats voted yes, it could have been made permanent but they didn't. so blame them for that

    No, the tax cuts are temporary because the Republicans wanted to pass the bill with no Democrat involvement. You cannot have a bill which is 100% partisan and then expect Democrats to vote for it just to make a few peanuts for the middle class permanent. The Republicans had the ability to make middle class tax cuts permanent and wealthy tax cuts temporary and they chose to do the opposite. Republicans are 100% responsible for every line of this tax bill.

    Ultimately this approach of passing sweeping legislation in a partisan manner most likely benefits Democrats in the long run. It is politically harder to take benefits away than it is to give them, which is why the Republicans couldn't dismantle Obamacare. In three years the Democrats are likely to take back control of government, and with reconciliation they could take those $1.5 billion in tax cuts and give them all to the middle class without raising the deficit one penny. Then the next time Republicans gain power they will have an even harder time giving the wealthy tax breaks without even more massive deficits, or significantly raising taxes on the middle class.

    If the Republicans had been able to hold strong and only give tax cuts which are revenue neutral, or only gave tax cuts to the working/middle class, they could have held onto their talking points of being against federal deficits and for the little guy. That ship has now sailed for at least a decade until this bill expires.

    --
    -- All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. -- Edmund Burke
  74. language is divisive. by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 1
    Language is fundamentally divisive. Language is the original IFF. Identify friend or foe device. Israelites and Ephraimites looed identical. When they Ephraimite city fell, and the residents tried to pretend to be Israelites to escape slaughter, how were they singled out? They were asked to say "shibboleth". Ephraimites said "sibboleth". 42000 of them who could not say it right were slain on the banks of river Jordan, according to the old testament. ,

    Some 75%% of all extant languages today, some 4000 of them are in the high lands of Papua New Guinea. Every tribe fights with every neighbor constantly, and they tell each other by language. Every grammar every syntax every linguistic device used anywhere in the world is found there. And some found there nowhere else. If, and when, Papua New Guinea becomes peaceful, we will lose anout 4000 languages.

    In my home state the love for our mother tongue runs deep. We sing anthems for Mother Tamil. Name children Tamil-princess, Tamil-gem, Tamil-music. Only time Tamil Muslims disagree with Islamic orthodoxy is when Arabic is placed above Tamil. Only time Tamil brahmins disagree is when Sanskrit is placed above Tamil. National parties pledged to make Hindi the national language of India do not even garner 10% of the votes in my (former) home state.

    Language is fundamentally divisive. Winners, military or economic or cultural will drive to extinction loser's languages. We started with one language 75000 years ago. We seem to be heading towards 100 languages in about 100 years.

    (Pardon typos, typing on a phone.)

    --
    sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
    1. Re:language is divisive. by yes-but-no · · Score: 1

      Not just divisive; it's deeper. Language is breathing pattern (exhale breath turned visible). And that is mind. So friend is someone who agrees with your mind-construct (ideas, right/wrong notions).

      Written language is not of that significance; it's the spoken that connects to the breathing. You know why a phone call is zillion times more effective than a written email.

  75. Re: How many languages disappeard in North America by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Not nearly enough.

  76. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by ganjadude · · Score: 1

    when the cuts expire...congress can (and should) make them permanent. stop fear mongering

    --
    have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
  77. I wonder by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If languages are such a non-issue why do people in the US freak out that so many non-english speakers prefer their native languages? I mean if languages like Spanish are just the preferred communication language of so many, why the backlash? Why not just let people choose what they speak? I mean it would be a non-issue if English just happens to be less preferred and dies away, no?

  78. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by ganjadude · · Score: 1

    i might take you guys more seriously if you were not all anon cowards. no sources, and all FUD

    stop fear mongering

    --
    have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
  79. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You are crazy and don't understand about amortization in mortgages. I live in a state with high property taxes (because it has no state tax), so for me the line deduction works out better (at least, it DID before). If you and your spouse have a combined income of $120k, that doesn't make you rich. That is firmly middle class. On the other hand don't delude yourself if you make $28k a year that you are "middle class". You are not. And that's not even touching the fact that this expands the deficit, and the people who are seeing a cut are only seeing it temporarily.

  80. I'm willing to bet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm willing to bet 99% of posters in this thread who say that loosing a language is no big deal, or that the world would be a better place if everyone on earth spoke the same lnaguage, etc, are native english speakers. Better yet, american native english speakers, the only people of the G20 the vast majority of whom are unilingual, and have never known the effects of learning and speaking even one other language can have on the mind.

    Explaining the virtues of cultural diversity is just like explaining the virtues of bio-diversity, and the dangers of monoculture: If we still have to explain it to you, then you're probably a lost cause anyway.

    Posted by a non-native english speaker.

    1. Re:I'm willing to bet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You think that you're pretty good at English, huh? OK, bub, parse this: Go back to your own country.

    2. Re:I'm willing to bet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I AM in my own country, fucktard.

      We found a Trump voter here.

  81. ok by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    and this matters because?

  82. Slashdot censors do not want you to see this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  83. Wow. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The censorship here is out of control.

    Slashdot really does not want you to know about Wade Davis' "The Wayfinders". A series of lectures that discusses the importance of ancient knowledge in the modern world and covers how loss of languages represents a real loss of knowledge.

    Posts that try to discuss real knowledge are deleted. While the rabid american politicals are allowed to smear their excrement all over every discussion. Fuck you fuckers. Fuck you controlling pieces of shit.

  84. Re: How many languages disappeard in North America by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No indeed. It's time someone finishes the job.

  85. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by tendrousbeastie · · Score: 1

    As an interested Brit, who has never spent any time in the USA, how do you categorise your status as lower-middle or upper-middle class?

    I guess in the context of this conversation we are talking income levels (which in itself is different from how us class-loving Brits do it), but what sort of income levels are the categories based on, in your opinion? (I guess it might differ from state to state?)

  86. last person to speak a language? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    if he is really the LAST person to speak a language, whom is he speaking with?

  87. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Joey+Vegetables · · Score: 1

    My opinion, colored by the fact that I live in a place with a very low cost of living compared to most of the U.S. (Cleveland, Ohio area):

    Lower-class means you really have nowhere near enough resources to guarantee the survival of yourself and your children. Typically you live either in a very violent inner-city area with barely half of the average life expectancy because of crime and drug abuse, or in a very rural area without access to jobs or opportunities of any kind. It is not considered a pejorative. I spent about half my life in this class.

    Middle-class means you have the basic essentials of life, you probably have a decent job, and could probably survive a month or so of unemployment. You probably have both some savings, though not necessarily enough, and also long-term debt. You may vacation from time to time. You can afford some luxuries although they must be carefully planned and budgeted. It is possible for a middle-class person to drown under the weight of mortgage, student-loan or medical debt. "Lower-middle-class" are those who are more likely than not to do so at some point in their adult lives; "upper-middle-class" people fairly unlikely to do so, although many people move fluidly among these classes and subclasses. Traditionally this was the largest class in the U.S., and arguably still is, although economic changes have thinned it out considerably. I consider myself lower-middle-class at present; I have a better than average income, but spend way too much and save way too little, because of the demands of my family. It is my ambition to pay off debts and then to save more, which would make me arguably upper-middle-class, but I've never been quite there yet and am not sure I ever will.

    Upper-class means you will not likely ever need to worry about the mere essentials of life, and you don't. You can probably afford anything you are ever likely to need or want, although probably not everything. You probably live in much more expensive and safe neighborhoods than most others, and are much more likely to live and work in or near NYC, LA, Chicago, or other very large cities. You may have personal assistants such as maids or drivers, although even among the wealthiest Americans this is much less common than in other parts of the world. You can and most likely do travel anyplace in the world anytime you wish, and probably need to because of your well-paying but probably very demanding job. You likely inherited at least some portion of your wealth, but enough social and economic mobility still exists in the U.S. as to have produced many self-made millionaires. I have known and worked with many people in this category, but have never been close to it myself.

    These are not rigid, unchangeable categories, but fairly fluid ones. Very wealthy people become very poor all the time, although they rarely stay that way unless it was due to very bad life choices such as becoming addicted to opiates, a scourge that affects every class, though not necessarily equally. Poor people also become wealthier all the time, and typically do not slide back into extreme poverty except for those same reasons (poor life choices, often, as in my case, taking on excessive debt). But many people, myself included, do not aggressively pursue a state of great wealth. I would be content if my debts were paid off and we had both modest savings and the ability to give more to help the less fortunate.

    On the other hand, there are mechanisms which, intentionally or otherwise, work to lessen class mobility. One is that government schools, which most people use, are funded largely through taxes, and vary dramatically in quality, with the crappier ones typically found in poorer places and the better ones in wealthier areas. Another is that American neighborhoods, while no longer rigidly segregated by race, *are* rigidly segregated by income. Poor people tend to know mainly poor people; wealthy people mainly wealthy ones. Cultural, moral, and ethical values tend to vary based on class. Family

  88. Re: Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    80% of taxpayers, maybe. 80% of Americans, no way. Of those that could pay taxes, ~47% pay none already.

  89. Re: Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You spelled âoeHillary Clintonâ wrong

  90. Re: Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You realize that prepaying income taxes does _nothing_ to the amount you owe?

    You can deduct the 2017 taxes in 2017. With the middle class deductions eliminated,and the billionaire deductions increased, if you pay 2018 property tax in 2017, you can deduct it in 2017. But if you wait to 2018 to pay 2018 property tax, you don't get the deduction on 2018 taxes.

    So paying your 2018 property taxes in 2017 directly reduces the amount you owe (to the feds in income tax). That you don't understand reality doesn't change reality.

  91. Re:Rushing to pre-pay 2018 taxes before Trump Tax by Shirley+Marquez · · Score: 1

    The specific provision in question is the elimination of the deduction for state and local taxes. People are paying their 2018 property tax now so they can deduct it, which they won't be able to do on next year's return. Given that change in the tax code, paying the bill now rather than next month is sensible.

    For many people who are affected by that change and by the reduction of the deduction for mortgage interest, Trump's tax plan is a tax increase, not a cut. And that's before the tax cuts for the middle class expire in a few years, unlike the tax cuts for the rich that are permanent. (Well, as permanent as anything in US law ever is, as the law can get changed again.)