Response and Rejoinder to Perley's 'Zombie Linguistics': It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a linguist to pass through the 'Perley Gates': A response to Perley's 'Zombie Linguistics'

Abstract

While many of the issues put forward by Perley (2012) regarding Zombie Linguistics,endangered languages, and processes of language documentation are perennial and his concerns accurate, there are several points in his argument which require deeper consideration. It is possible that Perley has argued these stances because professionally he is an anthropologist who has taken a linguistic approach to documenting a single language (Maliseet) and then holds that these methods are applicable to all, or at least most, language documentation and revival situations.