title: Rearticulating the case for minority language rights

authors: May, Stephen

subjects: language rights

abstract: While advocacy of minority language rights (MLR) has become well established in sociolinguistics, language policy and planning and the wider human rights literature, it has also come under increased criticism in recent times for a number of key limitations. In this paper, I address directly three current key criticisms of the MLR movement. The first is a perceived tendency towards essentialism in articulations of language rights. The second is the apparent utopianism and artificiality of 'reversing language shift' in the face of wider social and political 'realities'. And the third is that the individual mobility of minority-language speakers is far better served by shifting to a majority language. While acknowledging the perspicacity of some of these arguments, I aim to rearticulate a defence of minority language rights that effectively addresses these key concerns. This requires, however, a sociohistorical/sociopolitical rather than a biological/ecological analysis of MLR. In addition, I will argue that a sociohistorical/sociopolitical defence of MLR can problematise the positions often adopted by minority language rights' critics themselves, particularly those who defend majoritarian forms of linguistic essentialism and those who sever the instrumental/identity aspects of language. Implications for language policy and planning will also be discussed.

text: Rearticulating the case for minority language rights While advocacy of minority language rights (MLR) has become well established in sociolinguistics, language policy and planning and the wider human rights literature, it has also come under increased criticism in recent times for a number of key limitations. In this paper, I address directly three current key criticisms of the MLR movement. The first is a perceived tendency towards essentialism in articulations of language rights. The second is the apparent utopianism and artificiality of 'reversing language shift' in the face of wider social and political 'realities'. And the third is that the individual mobility of minority-language speakers is far better served by shifting to a majority language. While acknowledging the perspicacity of some of these arguments, I aim to rearticulate a defence of minority language rights that effectively addresses these key concerns. This requires, however, a sociohistorical/sociopolitical rather than a biological/ecological analysis of MLR. In addition, I will argue that a sociohistorical/sociopolitical defence of MLR can problematise the positions often adopted by minority language rights' critics themselves, particularly those who defend majoritarian forms of linguistic essentialism and those who sever the instrumental/identity aspects of language. Implications for language policy and planning will also be discussed.

year: 2003-01-01

title: Why using the level of the active component in manuka honey to replace the UMF rating is misleading

authors: Molan, Peter C.

subjects: biology

abstract: There have been some news releases claiming that Professor Henle in Germany has found the chemical identity of UMF, and that in future chemical analysis will be used instead of assays of antibacterial activity to indicate the level of UMF in manuka honey. Both of these claims are misleading. Because the level of active substance in manuka honey is an unreliable indication of the level of antibacterial activity and can be very misleading, it is hard to see any commercial advantage for it to be used to indicate antibacterial activity other than if someone wanted to fool the consumer into thinking that the higher numbers are giving them a level of antibacterial activity that is far higher than they are really getting.

text: Why using the level of the active component in manuka honey to replace the UMF rating is misleading There have been some news releases claiming that Professor Henle in Germany has found the chemical identity of UMF, and that in future chemical analysis will be used instead of assays of antibacterial activity to indicate the level of UMF in manuka honey. Both of these claims are misleading. Because the level of active substance in manuka honey is an unreliable indication of the level of antibacterial activity and can be very misleading, it is hard to see any commercial advantage for it to be used to indicate antibacterial activity other than if someone wanted to fool the consumer into thinking that the higher numbers are giving them a level of antibacterial activity that is far higher than they are really getting.

year: 2008

title: Ta Moko: Culture, body modification, and the psychology of identity.

authors: Te Awekotuku, Ngahuia

subjects: Maori

abstract: This paper outlines the context of Ta Moko in the Māori world, and locates the practice in the Pacific, and in the twenty first century. It describes the resurgence of the practice, and comments on the aims of the Marsen project. The three principal aims are: 
1.	To complete a comprehensive survey of the chant record and oral history with reference to archaeological, archival and artefactual materials.
2.	To examine traditional whakairo carving in relation to Ta Moko.
3.	To explore the nature of social relationships and ecologies that are supportive of, or resistant, to contemporary Ta Moko.

text: Ta Moko: Culture, body modification, and the psychology of identity. This paper outlines the context of Ta Moko in the Māori world, and locates the practice in the Pacific, and in the twenty first century. It describes the resurgence of the practice, and comments on the aims of the Marsen project. The three principal aims are: 
1.	To complete a comprehensive survey of the chant record and oral history with reference to archaeological, archival and artefactual materials.
2.	To examine traditional whakairo carving in relation to Ta Moko.
3.	To explore the nature of social relationships and ecologies that are supportive of, or resistant, to contemporary Ta Moko.

year: 2003