dave prine

Where Languages Have Taken Me Now

If any of you know me even just a little bit, you know I love languages. Learning languages originally was a way for me to meet people while traveling. Well, actually, learning languages was originally a way for me to meet girls. And then it was a way for me to meet girls while traveling.

But after a while, I started studying languages for the fun of it. Sure, travel (and women) always added to the desire to learn—going anywhere for a few days was enough of a reason to learn 100-200 words in the local language. But since my traveling has *gasp* slowed down a bit, I don’t focus on just the languages I might need someday. Instead, I’ve been delving into languages just to learn them. Sure, I might never go to Mongolia, Myanmar, or Tuva, but that hasn’t stopped me from picking up a few words here and there.

In fact, my love of languages has slowly morphed into a passion for linguistics, and I’ve been looking into pursuing a Ph.D. in the Linguistics Dept. here at UCSB. Originally I wanted to work on a series of language books (phrasebooks and learning methods), and so I looked into a degree in order to get an added credential to help me be more publishable. And a part of me still plans to go the book-writing route, credential or no.

But as of late, I’ve discovered the world or Language Documentation, Endangerment, and Revitalization. It turns out that out of the 6900+ languages in the world (not including ones that are no longer being spoken), only about 500 or so (I’ve been told) have been properly documented in some way . And we lose a language on average every two weeks when the last speaker of that language dies. But languages don’t always die out naturally. Sometimes languages fade due to government oppression (many Native American languages withered this way). Other languages lose popularity with the younger generations who want to learn a more popular language and refuse to speak their native tongue. Personally, I’d like to see these languages continue to thrive.

So my latest focus on languages is in this area. UCSB has a great grad program for Language Documentation and Revitalization. But that’s a 7-year program, and I want to do stuff NOW! So while I’m still contemplating grad school, I’m also looking into raising awareness and working on being an advocate for causes I deem worthy of supporting. My first one is supporting Lost Words, a documentary about saving Native American languages. You can read how to help out at:

http://www.polyglotsanonymous.com/2012/02/help-support-the-lost-words-documentary.html

 

So you’ll probably be hearing a lot more from me regarding this cause as well as others regarding dying languages and ways to save them. You have been warned.

In the meantime, if any of you have any suggestions, advice, questions, comments, etc. regarding languages on the verge of becoming extinct or ways to keep languages alive, feel free to pass them my way!

Why I Hate To Blog (or rather, Why I Suck At It)

As many of you noticed, I’ve had a series of blogs over the years but have had limited activity on each and every one of them. I can’t say I’m surprised when I’m constantly being asked the same thing by friends and family: “Are you really going to wear that outfit in public?” And then, if they have the time or interest, they ask me, “When are you going to post something on your blog?” I find I always give the same response: I shout “Look over there,” point to an imaginary centaur (or imaginary condor, depending on my mood) and then run away, often while giggling softly.

The truth is—and this is very embarrassing to say coming from an up-and-coming travel writer—I hate to write. I love (love love) coming up with something creative, crafty, or (and some say this has yet to happen) humorous. I enjoy when the perfect combination of words comes to mind (specifically to my mind). And I roll around the floor in an intoxicated stupor like a tabby high on catnip whenever I see my words reproduced on the printed page, or even online. Of course, it’s most rewarding when someone else chooses to publish my words, but even a self-posted blog entry is an ego boost.

The Inauguration of President Obama and the Promise of Change

I watched the inauguration today. I’ll see it again tonight at a friend’s house. ‘Twas truly amazing watching history being made. I’ve never been horribly interested in politics, but after the last 8 years, it’s hard not to take an interest in what’s going on in D.C.

So the overall feeling—not just for me but for thousands of others, it seems—is a sense of imminent change and improvement. But while these sentiments are for the country, I can’t deny that I feel a drastic need to improve myself. Now more than ever.

Every year I make resolutions, and every year most (if not all) get broken, if only briefly. Some resolutions are easy to restart, and others get derailed completely. But this time there’s greater motivation for me to live better, to get a better job, to save more money. To lose my gut, to travel more and to get more travel writing published. To be healthy, to make smart decisions, to be a better person. To truly realize my potential. And to blog more.

Maybe it’s temporary inspiration, and perhaps the momentum will fade as it often does with resolutions. Perhaps my inspiration will rise and fall with the successes and failures of the President. Or perhaps, once I’ve overcome the initial inertia, I’ll find the energy to keep going. After all, the hardest thing about getting a rock down a hill is the initial push. A body at rest tends to stay that way, a body in motion tends to keep moving. Where the difference lies, I’m hopefully going to find out.

Welcome, everybody, to the start of an amazing year. For me. And for all of us.

Dave's First Article on Indie Travel Podcast

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick note to let y’all know that my work is now being featured on Indie Travel Podcast! Here is my essay, The Birth of a Traveler, the first of many articles to be featured on their site.

Craig and Linda, the folks who run ITP, had asked me to join their list of writers after reading my blogs and learning that I’m planning to do more travel writing. While I’ve only corresponded with Craig via e-mail, if you listen to any of their podcasts, you’ll probably suspect they’re some of the friendliest and most easy-going people around, as did I. (Or is that “easiest-going”?)

Meme, Myself and I

OK, I got memed by my good pal Chryss. For those of you new to the meme game, it’s basically a chance to talk about myself (i.e. it’s all about me-me). Here are the rules:

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about himself or herself.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1) Ten years ago I was...