Revivalistics
The book introduces revivalistics, a trans-disciplinary field of enquiry exploring "the dynamics and problematics inherent in spoken language reclamation, revitalization, and reinvigoration".
According to Professor Joseph Lo Bianco: "Zuckermann expands from the often celebrated case of the revival of the Hebrew in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to discuss what can be learned and applied, and what does not lend itself to such cross-context application, for other endangered languages.
"[1]: 86 "Revivalistics expands the scope of what is aimed for in reversing language shift to contemplating questions beyond revival potential to compensation for acts of historic linguicide and contemporary neglect.
In particular the concept of native tongue title and the notion of seeking compensation for linguicide, and the correlation between language revival and wellbeing, are two areas worthy of further exploration in an Aotearoa New Zealand context.
As noted in many places throughout this fascinating book, language is the vehicle that carries our deepest thoughts, our ideas, customs, genealogy, history, mythology, songs, prayers, dreams, hopes, desires, frustrations, anger, knowledge, and identity.
"[13] Professor Joseph Lo Bianco says that "Zuckermann aims to ground Revivalistics in an ethics of wellbeing, and hence a utilitarian case for revival, linked to methodological practices of bottom-up community led but expert-supported, activity.
"[7] Haines says that this "groundbreaking linguistic manuscript is wide‐ranging in its scope, covering specifically Hebrew, Israeli and Barngarla but with references to Chinese, Russian, German, Italian and many other languages.
"[4] According to Professor Norman Simms, Revivalistics is “a very important technical and contentious book, yet it is also a very funny, punny tome.”[14]: 1 “What [Zuckermann] is doing is to save the crazy world from itself, give back a mentality to those who have been pushed or slid off the edge, and that makes him a mensch, a proper human being.”[14]: 4 "Zuckermann tells a lot of jokes because that is how languages, spoken, written and felt deep in the kishkas, work: through puns, calques, portmanteau words, borrowings from other languages, playfulness and wit.
"[14]: 2 The book was also commended by actor and writer Stephen Fry, Nobel Laureate J. M. Coetzee, cultural historian Peter Burke, and linguistics author and Foundation for Endangered Languages chairman Nicholas Ostler.
[21] The book introduces various revivalistic concepts such as the following: Zuckermann’s term, revivalistics, refers to a trans-disciplinary field of enquiry[22] surrounding language reclamation, revitalization and reinvigoration from any angle, for example law, mental health, psychology, health, linguistics, anthropology, sociology, geography, politics, history, biology, evolution, genetics, genomics, colonization studies, missionary studies, media, animation films, technology, talknology, art, theatre, dance, agriculture, archaeology, music, education, games (indirect learning), pedagogy and architecture.
[23] The book makes a strong case for a clear professional distinction between "revivalistics" and documentary linguistics (the established field recording endangered languages before they fall asleep).
"[24] The book promotes a revivalistic revision of the following two fields: It proposes that grammars and dictionaries ought to be written for language reclamation in a user-friendly way, accessible to lay communities, not only to professional linguists.
[6] Zuckermann has already applied the Congruence Principle to lexicon, when he explored phono-semantic matching in the book Language Contact and Lexical Enrichment in Israeli Hebrew.
This was despite the separation that many had endured as “Stolen Generation” children of the 1960s and 70s, when they were forcibly removed by the State to homes in Adelaide, far distant from their native Eyre Peninsula in South Australia's west.
