SLM is Dead, Long Live Sri Lanka Malay: A Review Article of Nordhoff 2013

This paper discusses the results of scholarship on Sri Lanka Malay based on the studies presented in Nordhoff 2013 in terms of theory, method, and social impact. It touches on a variety of topics including the significance of recent genetic evidence for old theories of language genesis, as well as t...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Ansaldo, Umberto
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: 2014
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/86274
Description
Summary:This paper discusses the results of scholarship on Sri Lanka Malay based on the studies presented in Nordhoff 2013 in terms of theory, method, and social impact. It touches on a variety of topics including the significance of recent genetic evidence for old theories of language genesis, as well as the efforts for revitalization sparked by the scientific interest in the speech community. In evaluating this collection of variable significance, the author reflects on the transition of ownership of Sri Lanka Malay: from object of scientific curiosity to ancestral language of communal value.