By: Otto Waldmann

Otto Waldmann — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 23:24:32 +0000

There is a grossly misleading argument pegged on the priority of LNGUAGE particularly when it comes to a medium that uses exclusively the spken word for conveyence of notions. I say notions because SBS Radio is not only about how you convey but, essentially, WHAT !!! In respect of the SBS function, addressing specific communities is not primarely a linguistc exercise but a…communal one. Issues pertain to origin and content of the matters covered not necessarily HOW they are covered. When specific music is played during the time alocated to “language” programmes, language as such becomes incredibly irrelevant , unless the “codes” specify bthat ONLY spoken music may be played !
Similarly the nature of cultural and also news segments pertain to specific countries of origin and specific communal issues, including lots of announcements and, again, the language in which these issued are dealt with is not even secundary.
Our community is distinct as a community and in linguistic character. If by now the people at SBS have not grasped this feature then there is something really wrong with them. There would also be something wrong with our communla representatives active in negotiating on our behalf if they would have been unable to drive in a conclusive, persuasive , way these basic FACTS.
I love the sound of Mamelushen and would go nuts at the sound of Ladino, but my command of Yidish is almost nowhere and my Son’s Mother is Sephardi with, sadly, no notion of the most wonderful sound of Ladino, our English, however, is not too bad and we managed to bring up a sheine gitte Yidishe bubele who is topping Cambridge where, again Yidish is not ( yet ) the lingua franca. Yet we all want to have our share of SBS, we all need our voice heard, our music played, our whole NATIONAL being celarly and beautifully stated !!!! I, for one could do it in Italian, French, Hungarin and, above all ROMANIAN, thus assuring an overwhelming audience of……………….
SBS Jewish programmes are not necessarily a liguistic exercise, although both Yidish and Ivrit are necessary elements of it, but a communal one, defined by our specific communal composition.

By: Halina

Halina — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 10:51:40 +0000

There is no doubt that people of non-English background often consider their use of other language at home as embarassing, hence never mention this in the census. This presents the needs for community languages in the radio programs as much lower than it is in reality. Also the language regression at the onset of the aging dementia is not wilingly mentioned by members of the family. The need for inclusion of Jiddish and Hebrew for Jews, who irrespective of the countries from which they migrated from are in their majority fluent in English must be specifically explained.

By: Otto Waldmann

Otto Waldmann — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 09:48:12 +0000

G-d forbid ECAJ and NSWJBD should organise a communal forum on the issue.
Ohhh, what have I done, I offfered a suggestion to those blokes who know it allllll !!!!!

Comments on: SBS radio changes its rules

By: Otto Waldmann

By: Halina

By: Otto Waldmann