Language Extinction and Cultural Evolution in Julia Cho's The Language Archive
Overview
This essay analyzes Julia Cho's play The Language Archive, examining how the protagonist George, a linguist, embodies the paradox of language extinction and cultural diversity. The paper argues that Cho uses George's character and his failing marriage to illustrate how languages and cultures evolve and disappear daily, while simultaneously demonstrating the irony of a language expert unable to communicate effectively in his own relationships.
What this essay covers
- Point A: George as a linguist disconnected from language and the theme of linguistic extinction exemplified through his estrangement from his grandmother
- Point B: Cultural diversity portrayed through Ellowans and historical reference to Zamenhof's Esperanto language contributions
- George's marital conflict as ironic commentary on his professional expertise in language coaching versus personal communication failure
Preview
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The Language Archive by Julia Cho
Point A
George is a linguist. He proclaims that he does not belong to any language. This is depicted at the beginning of Act One, scene two of the play, on page 85, in scene one of Act One, where George's wife Mary asks him why he did not shed a tear when his grandmother died. George was not close to his grandmother because they did not speak the same language. The play points out that languages continue to become extinct every single day. Julia Cho, through this play, displays culture to be evolving every day, consequently leading to the extinction and disappearance of culture (Cho, 2020).
Point B
The play manifest culture as diverse and different from each other. In Act One scene five, George witnesses two Ellowan couples Alta and Resten. The couples argue in English instead of the native language of Elloway. George comes to learn from Emma that Ellowans believe that if anyone from their tribe behaves reprehensibly, the community regards them as an outcast. Through the play, culture has been portrayed as diverse because of differences and changes over the past years. Zamenhof is mentioned in Act One, scene seven of the play page 95 by the instructor to Emma in the office. His role is important in the play because the instructor mentions how he contributed a lot to developing and adopting the Esperanto language (Cho, 2020).
George's marriage is problematic.