The Strange Story of Sally-Anne Lambert's Hlinget Word Encyclopedia
Let me save you a quick "let me google that" trip. Hlinget is not a variant dialect of Klingon, or Elvish, or any other fictional language. Even if you do a quick search, you'll still have to dig a little to find out what this Word Encyclopedia is all about. That's because Hlinget, with an H, is not the preferred spelling - which is the very first red flag that this language book has problems. Big problems.
Sally-Anne Lambert's Hlinget Word Encyclopedia is billed as a definitive work on what is commonly known as the Tlingit language, which is spoken by Tlingit people of Southeastern Alaska and Western Canada. It is an endangered language, with few native speakers remaining. So, on the surface, the idea of a 600-page tome that details the language, its history, pronunciation, and etymological roots and branches seems like a brilliant idea.
Lambert positions her work as an invaluable contribution to a dying language, saying in her marketing materials "Through this book, a new unity of First Nations people is possible... The languages, the people and the land unite in a shared ecology, and the ecosystem must be understood as the medicine man understands it. Science must serve honesty before greed... This is where civil rights needs to go. Learn a Native American language. Once we discover our duty, we can act in the world with full assurance."
But Lambert, a New Zealander apparently living in China offering services as a druidh, does not, in fact, speak Tlingit.
A local radio station in Sitka reported that Lambert appeared in Alaska in mid-January to launch her book. The reception? Not only had no one heard of her in the tight-knit Tlinget and language scholar community, native Tlingit speakers deemed her work to be 'gibberish'.
How does something like this happen? I can only explain it as the nexus of self-publishing, a dose of self-delusion, and the romantic allure of Alaska. While it's true that there is a certain je ne sais quoi that simulataneously draws people to Alaska and intimidates them (witness Northern Exposure, Insomnia, and Sarah Palin), I can't allow the mystique to excuse this kind of paternalistic outsiderism.
Lambert, speaking to Tlingit people, says, "If you're Hlingit, it's your language, you can save it by understanding it well. Let it heal your heart. Lighten the heart of some dear elders with the sweet sound of their spoken language." In her interview with the radio station, Lambert also explains that "I think often I'm led spiritually, and I don't make my decisions with the full knowledge of the situation." At least that sounds honest.
While Lambert's Hlinget Word Encyclopedia is available on Google Books, there are surely better ways to learn about Tlingit language and culture, including this real Tlingit dictionary available on Amazon.com.
What's your favorite example of a self-publishing disaster story?
#Alaska
#languages
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