The younger generations had the language literally beaten and shamed out of them, and this is where the issue of trauma really begins. I took the opportunity to try to learn some of the Dai language, and we ended up having really productive language exchange sessions. Revitalization movements often put a lot of focus on the visibility of the language. Heading out onto the street and into the city, I realised that everyone was speaking that way. With a little effort, we were able to converse fairly naturally, each of us speaking our own language.
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