Would you support a language tax?

[Machjo]

I was looking at the following webpage that had given me some ideas:

Language tax - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What if we placed, let's say, a 2 to 3 % tax on all language self-teaching books and bilingual dictionaries, with the exception of those for sign languages, the local Aboriginal language, IALs, and maybe religious language; as well as on all second-language courses for, let's say, 10-to-15-year-olds, except for the same languages as above, with all the revenue from this tax going to the development of Aboriginal languages?

What would be your thoughts on this?

 

[DurkaDurka]

I doubt the public would have the appetite for another tax, let alone one that is applied to book purchases. There are other ways and other revenue streams to tap in order to promote aboriginal languages.

 

[Machjo]

I doubt the public would have the appetite for another tax, let alone one that is applied to book purchases. There are other ways and other revenue streams to tap in order to promote aboriginal languages.

What would be your recommendation?

 

[Machjo]

In some ways though, such a tax would be similar to a carbon tax in that one would have a choice to try to avoid it should he wish to do so by simply not buying the books or taking the courses in question.

 

[DurkaDurka]

I'm certain we already fund this, perhaps the funding can be increased.

 

[Machjo]

I'm certain we already fund this, perhaps the funding can be increased.

I'd been looking for a quality self-instruction book for he Algonquin language for a month now almost. Nada! Nothing! Zilch!

More recently, I tried to find some quality self-instruction books for inuktitut. Again, nothing.

This is a shameful state of affairs. In English and French, we have libraries full of books, translated, original, fiction. non-fiction, on every topic imaginable. Yet, for Canada's Aboriginal languages, we can't even find a simple friggin self-instruction book so that we can teach ourselves the language?! What the hell does the government do with this money?

 

[gerryh]

pretty well every province out there already offers first nations languages.... we sure as h*ll don't nbeed another tax to fund teaching what are basically dead languages.

 

[Machjo]

pretty well every province out there already offers first nations languages.... we sure as h*ll don't nbeed another tax to fund teaching what are basically dead languages.

Interesting. Inuktitut is considered an asset if you work for First Air.

 

[Machjo]

Oh, yeah, and what caused those languages to become threatened again? Might residential shools where children were beaten for speaking their languages have anything to do with it? And no, this is not hyperbole. Aboriginal children literally got their language beaten out of them in many of those schools.

 

[gerryh]

Interesting. Inuktitut is considered an asset if you work for First Air.

So...how many thousands can First Air employ?

 

[gerryh]

Oh, yeah, and what caused those languages to become threatened again? Might residential shools where children were beaten for speaking their languages have anything to do with it? And no, this is not hyperbole. Aboriginal children literally got their language beaten out of them in many of those schools.

It matter's not the why's or wherefores.....the fact is they are basically dead languages that will not, in reality, help the average person land a job.

 

[Machjo]

Learning music won't help most people land a job too. Forget the possible joy it could give a person. if it can't land you a job, it ain't worth learning or preserving.

 

[Machjo]

Learning history in school can't land most people a job either. Same with social studies.

 

[Machjo]

And PT, we can scrap that too.

 

[Machjo]

Yup, that's right:

education = job training.

 

[gerryh]

Learning music won't help most people land a job too. Forget the possible joy it could give a person. if it can't land you a job, it ain't worth learning or preserving.

Learning history in school can't land most people a job either. Same with social studies.

And PT, we can scrap that too.

You really should pick subjects that DON'T have a possible job attached to it.

 

[Machjo]

Most jobs in history, PT, and music probably are in schools in fact. Hey, scrap their education in schools, and most jobs requiring the skill are gone. Hmmmm.... could that be a reason there aren't many jobs in Aboriginal languages? Unlike PT, history, etc., they're not taught in school? Could be a connection.

 

[Machjo]

Oh yeah, Ireland requires Irish in their schools too. Silly twits. Don't they know it doesn't stand a chance? Let it croak already.

 

[gerryh]

Oh yeah, Ireland requires Irish in their schools too. Silly twits. Don't they know it doesn't stand a chance? Let it croak already.

ROFLMAO...is this the best you can do? What do you expect the Irish to teach in their schools? Huron? Blackfoot?:roll:

 

[Machjo]

ROFLMAO...is this the best you can do? What do you expect the Irish to teach in their schools? Huron? Blackfoot?:roll:

They usually teach it as a second-language because most Irish can't speak it. They actually care about trying to revive their culture.

Here in Canada it's tougher because, unlike in Ireland where they actually still control their land at least, here they control but a fraction of it.