The Linguist

30 The Linguist Vol/59 No/6 2020 thelinguist.uberflip.com OPINION & COMMENT Email linguist.editor@ciol.org.uk with your views Concerns for Mongolian As mentioned in 'What the Papers Say…' (TL59,5), policy changes in China limiting the use of Mongolian language and script in daily life are causing grave concern to Mongolian communities worldwide, as well as to scholars of the language and culture. Written from top to bottom and left to right, the classical script dates back to the 13th century, and has been used to record Mongolia's indigenous history and literature for centuries. The traditional script provides a shared link to the past that connects all forms of modern spoken and written Mongolian. In 2013, it was included in the Unesco list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, underlining its international importance. The need to protect the script is also recognised in projects such as the Atlas of Endangered Alphabets. The Cyrillic alphabet was adopted under the former People's Republic of Mongolia, and is still the official script in democratic Mongolia today. However, in recent years the traditional script has been taught in schools from grade 6 and its informal use has been encouraged by the Mongolian government, which has plans to adopt the traditional script for official use alongside Cyrillic from 2025. Since the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC), Chinese and Mongolian have both been official languages in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region. Mongolian language has been taught and Mongolian-language textbooks have been used in local schools. Thus ethnic Mongolian students have completed school and university education as fully bilingual. More recently, the Chinese government has increasingly undermined this level of linguistic diversity. Just before Inner Mongolian schools re-opened in August, the government announced an education policy which would significantly reduce the use of Mongolian language and script in the teaching of key subjects, with Mongolian-language textbooks phased out over two years. Furthermore, students would learn Chinese from textbooks printed only in Mandarin. This has provoked profound concern among parents and pupils. The move has serious implications. According to Professor Li Narangoa of the Australian National University, if this policy is implemented, "there will hardly be anyone writing and publishing books in Mongolian in the near future and that would be the end of both the Mongolian language and script". Literacy in the traditional script ensures the survival of Mongolian culture as a living entity that can be handed from generation to generation. Without it, the language could be relegated to the past, accessible only to scholars. For many Mongols this would fundamentally undermine their cultural identity. Mongolian language and culture are part of the world's heritage. They deserve proper respect and protection. It is the duty of the international community to say so. Enkhee Namsrai MCIL CL Please view the below message Are you also being driven mad by the ever increasing use of 'below' as an adjective? It is actually an adverb, sometimes a preposition. So 'the below information' is grammatically and gratingly incorrect in UK English – and not infrequently seen in CIOL communications. So, come on guys, as members of the Chartered Institute of Linguists, let's get it right. Banish the 'below message' and use either 'the following message' or 'the message below'. Christine Pocock FCIL The vowel trap I was reminded of a translator's embarrassment by Victoria Bentata Azaz's amusing letter (TL59,4). In my days as a military interpreter/translator and a defence attaché, I once had to visit the Interior Minister of a former Soviet Republic to tell him what assistance the UK was prepared to give him in restructuring his forces. The minister, a very stern individual with a reputation for heavy-handedness, had already made it clear he wanted lethal weaponry; this was against our rules. I started by telling him that his request for weapons had been rejected. Well, that is what I thought I said. In fact, I fell into the vowel trap and used the Russian word for 'manure' (удобрение/ udobreniye) instead of 'approval' (одобрение/ odobreniye): "We cannot give manure to your request…" He looked very startled. Christopher Langton ACIL 'En famille' (TL59,5) on freelancing and parenting struck a chord, as I have been doing the same for 14 years since having twins. My professional life as a translator adapted around them. I have found this to be a common experience among freelancing friends and clients. With the latter, snippets on the fun and frustrations of parenting are exchanged while the work files go back and forth. Great article, Debbie, many thanks for sharing it with us. Ceri Marshall MCIL CL Parent's view

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