Stephanie Jane reviewed Speak Not by James Griffiths
Fascinating
5 stars
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Speak Not, James Griffiths' exploration of three minority languages. Starting with Welsh and then going on to Hawai'ian and Cantonese, he takes readers through the history of these languages giving particular attention to how colonial pressures were the main contributors to each language becoming endangered and - in the cases of Welsh and Hawai'ian - the extreme efforts which had to be taken in order to ensure their survival. Cantonese was an interesting inclusion as this language, spoken widely in Hong Kong, but not on mainland China, is at the beginning of its suppression. I have noticed in reading historical fiction from around the world that local language speaking is often strongly discouraged or outright forbidden when foreign powers take over a nation. Maori children were solely taught in English when Britain ruled New Zealand for example, and the long-term negative effects of how being excluded …
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Speak Not, James Griffiths' exploration of three minority languages. Starting with Welsh and then going on to Hawai'ian and Cantonese, he takes readers through the history of these languages giving particular attention to how colonial pressures were the main contributors to each language becoming endangered and - in the cases of Welsh and Hawai'ian - the extreme efforts which had to be taken in order to ensure their survival. Cantonese was an interesting inclusion as this language, spoken widely in Hong Kong, but not on mainland China, is at the beginning of its suppression. I have noticed in reading historical fiction from around the world that local language speaking is often strongly discouraged or outright forbidden when foreign powers take over a nation. Maori children were solely taught in English when Britain ruled New Zealand for example, and the long-term negative effects of how being excluded from ones language, and in consequence ones culture and heritage, are now more widely understood.
Griffiths speaks from personal experience when talking about the fight for Welsh in Wales, and he also currently lives in Hong Kong so can appreciate the parallels between the two. I felt his reportage writing style especially suited this book as he brought the main protagonists to life for me on the page as well as imparting lots of information without the book ever feeling dry. As a side note, I'm currently learning Scottish Gaelic with Duolingo, the language app, Griffiths mentions within the text, so I felt this minority language experience of my own gave me an additional sense of connection to Speak Not. I am delighted to have discovered Speak Not as it was just about a perfect read for me and I would highly recommend it as a companion to Four Words for Friend by Marek Kohn.
