Preserving Minority Languages

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Recommended: Effects of cultural diversity in the 21st century

Language has been used as a means of communication among society members as time began. Each and every community has its own unique language, which is used to convey a certain message from the sender to the recipient. For a language to be appreciated as a means of communication among society members, it should be clear, simple to use and understandable among the users. There are approximately six thousand different languages, which are used in the whole world. Such languages are unique and distinct from each. Yagmur (2009) supports that; a language acts as a reflection or like a mirror of the society from which it originates. For instance, a language may portray the culture and origin of a certain community. Due to current globalization effects, language integration has constantly been taking place. This has made some languages be adopted as the major communication tools. For example, English and French languages are now being used as the major languages of communication. People who are not conversant with these languages are being termed as society laggards who do not appreciate changes. This has received some support from Jiang (2007) who adds that; this language integration has caused some languages to be marginalized. Such languages that are considered to be minor are usually spoken or used by communities, which are minority and marginalized within the society. Various debates on whether to preserve these marginalized languages have arisen over the past decades. These minority’s languages accrue various society elements like culture, religion, beliefs, behaviors and practices. These languages are like an archeological site that should be preserved. As a result, marginalized languages should be preserved because they carry wit... ... middle of paper ... ...gr114> LaPonce, J. A. 2004. “Minority Languages and Globalization.” Nationalism & Ethnic Politics, Spring Vol. 10 Issue 1, p15-24. Ushioda, E. 2006. “Language Motivation in a Reconfigured Europe: Access, Identity, Autonomy.” Journal of Multilingual & Multicultural Development, Vol. 27 Issue 2, p148-161. Yagmur, K. 2009. “Language use and ethnolinguistic vitality of Turkish compared with the Dutch in the Netherlands.’ Journal of Multilingual & Multicultural Development, Vol. 30 Issue 3, p219-233.

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