Essay about Preserving Minority Languages

Purpose: To highlight the difficulties students have at school and at home when it comes down to learning a language which they aren’t acquainted to and the consequences of such, depending on their social background.

In the present world, there are around 6000 languages grouped under various language families spoken in 200 states (Grimes, 1992). The people across the world speak different languages such as Arabic, Bengali, English, French, Hindi, Malay, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish which act as important link languages to communicate with each other. The existence of all these languages, side by side, resulted in multilingualism because they have been spoken as second, third, fourth or later acquired by their speakers. Knowing two or more than two languages became the need for communication among speech communities as well as individuals. Therefore, “Multilingualism” can be defined as an occurrence regarding an individual speaker

We are all members of a social group and members of `society´ as a whole. People interact in many ways and communication is just about the most common and among the most important. Whatever is meaningful to a group, from their everyday life to their traditions constitutes their very own culture and is generally respected by all group members. Language is only one of such items. For ethnic minority groups that may have a language of their own, their language is a cornerstone in their culture.

Language can be seen as a communication barrier for some. Sometimes it may be difficult to talk to a customer, distant relative, or just a person walking down the street asking for directions. Now imagine a world where every single human being spoke the same language; a place where your distant relative from another country suddenly speaks the same language as you and you can begin to appreciate or dislike them even more; where now you are connected to billions of people who you can easily communicate with; where one universal language can now progress humankind.

The way in which our world functions today is a result of colonialization. Language death and linguistic endangerment is woven with colonialization and the history of oppression toward indigenous communities. We cannot speak of language death without first acknowledging the speakers and the systematic oppression that indigenous communities continue struggling to resist. In present time language shifts due to economic incentive of hegemony and the mediating role of language ideologies are two of the most important causes of language death. Language shift and language ideologies that ultimately cause language death are current consequences of colonialization. The death of a language has both of linguistic and cultural consequences to the particular community affected and to the world’s diversity as a whole. Languages serve as carries of cultural knowledge, as identity and verbal art, hence when a language is lost cultural resources, identity and verbal art are lost.

In an ever changing world we have seen the number and complexity of languages become reduced. In a Wall Street Journal article entitled What the World Will Speak in 2115, John H. McWhorter advocates for the world to see these changes as necessary and a way for communication worldwide to become more efficient and simplified. McWhorter shows how language has been streamlined for centuries as a way for citizens to adapt rather than viewed as an extinction of culture. Modern English is likely to become the dominant language worldwide but more so for the fact that it can be easily learned and is open to transformation with the times. Despite the fears of a world where lingual diversity is reduced, McWhorter suggests that there will still be variation to promote culture and communication with people from all backgrounds will be easier. The following is a summary and analysis of McWhorter’s main points describing the simplification of language. Following the summary of main points will be a hypothetical situation in what the world language could consist of 100 years from now.

Language is used to communicate and convey meaning from one person to another. It is an arbitrary system of sounds and symbols in which it is contextualised and is used to express cultural identity and social relationships. Language can be seen by the way individuals communicate through gestures and facial and body expressions. Language can be heard through voice and attitude (Gee & Hayes, 2011). Language is diverse in the sense that different languages have different words for the same concept. However language allows communication of values and beliefs. Kilickaya (2009) highlights that, ‘English is the best option for people from different backgrounds’. Within Standard English different registers are used to assist communication,

Obviously, this topic is very detailed, and the article delved deeply into the subject. But, what I want to highlight is that, at least as far as the field of linguistics is concerned, that an approach to preserving language in such a way that each successive generation feels connected to their heritage and community is vital. However, this approach to language preservation and, by extension, the human rights issues connected to the losses does not eliminate a need for a common language in the wider international community.

　　　　Language is an essential part of our daily lives. Language is used to communicate with other people to meet our needs and satisfy our understandings. Everyone uses one language or another. Some have an advantage and are able to use

This essay will examine how different ideologies and policies have had profound negative and positive impacts on minority group languages/indigenous languages in Australia. The replacement of assimilation ideology by multiculturalism and introduction of new policy at national and state level, to some extent, had positive impacts on minority group languages in general and in particular on indigenous languages. The policy that we will present as our case study is the National Policy on languages.

Language is a tool people use to communicate with others, it can be both seen and heard and it can be standard or diverse. It is the way in which individuals share information and encompasses many forms including written and spoken, body language and signals, visual stimuli and even the use of electronic devices. Language can be spoken, written or signed and involves many facets. According to Gee & Hayes, 2011, language is influenced by both social and cultural environments, it is often social in that it can be personalised to a group or individual and cultural whereby the way a person speaks is relative to the rules of the society they live in and governed by the cultural acceptances of that society.

The social nature of humans makes it necessary for the establishment of a system that acts as the channels through which messages and ideas can be passed to the intended people. Language refers to the body of words together with the systems for which the words get used that are familiar to people who live in the same community, geographical region or share the same cultural tradition. Figurative language is a classification that exists within the complex societal settings and is often integrated that compromise of communication general concepts to specific initiatives. Therefore, in addition to spoken language, coded language can be taken by a given society in order to give both the direct and the indirect messages to the intended people.

Languages speak volumes. Languages themselves are more than just mere words. They represent the diverse communities, histories, politics, and cultures of the peoples that speak them. When the use of minority languages challenge the interests of the dominant community, the minority language and its speakers begin to be viewed as dangerous. Those in the dominant culture threatened by changing demographics will hold on to the “old ways”. Policies and practices resembling those of the Restrictive Period resurface. Allegations such as language diversity creating social and political tensions become accepted truths. This in turn fuels the debate and results in the rights of language minority groups being dismissed for “the greater goal” of unifying the country.

In this globalized world, learning an extra language other than their native languages is almost essential for every individual. Although the United States is one of the most diverse countries in the world, the need to promote a national language is widely held in the country as requisite for the promotion of a national identity, a President and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Applied Linguistics in Washington, D.C, Terrence Wiley states (Wiley, 2014). However, English is not considered as an official language, which creates an opportunity for the citizens and immigrants to not only study English, but also inherit their mother tongues and learn other foreign languages as well, particularly during the secondary education. Additionally, “globalization in the economy and politics have profound consequences for language policies in education” (Wiley, 2014). High schools in the United States value diversity in language classes and support students learning more than one language to foster better communication with people around the world.

Language is a system of signs that is seen as having itself a cultural value. Speakers identify themselves and others through their use of language; they view their language as a symbol of their social identity. The prohibition of its use is often