A Scottish Gaelic old saying goes "He who loses his language loses his world." Mother tongue is identity to promulgate our origins. Origination gives dignity. Sense of togetherness develops while conversing in our language. Nelson Mandela said "If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart."
Around 7000 languages are spoken world wide by the over 7 billion people. Out of this 12 languages are most widely spoken (Mandarin Chinese, English, Spanish, Hindi, Arabic, Bengali, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese, German and French) while close to 2500 languages are in brink of extinction. There are two aspects which are key to this trend, Technology and Individuals.
Global landscape is flatter and internet makes distance no longer, longer. Information is button press in almost all languages. Sub-title, translations are available in widely spoken languages. This increases viewership showing it is a commercialized world rather than a responsible world. Subtitles for native programs make younger generation to listen less of their language and read sub-titles, in turn speaking less. If willing media could make this reverse by not looking into only on commercial aspect but a mean to protect languages as part of their corporate social responsibility. After all if there is no language there is no viewership.
Individuals might survive speaking other languages but it gives a suffocated feeling when we seldom speak our own language. Pride is flashed on the face when we speak our language while a pseudo smile can be seen on those who don't. Those who give up speaking their language and take pride in foreign languages are those who lose their integrity and world. They live in an aura of illusion.Let us talk to hearts and not to be just understood. This has to be conveyed to younger generations so they value & take pride in who they are.
Technology development could be used in better ways for saving languages thereby help in saving cultures, history that we leave after we are long gone. Legacies are to be created not destroyed.
Around 7000 languages are spoken world wide by the over 7 billion people. Out of this 12 languages are most widely spoken (Mandarin Chinese, English, Spanish, Hindi, Arabic, Bengali, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese, German and French) while close to 2500 languages are in brink of extinction. There are two aspects which are key to this trend, Technology and Individuals.
Global landscape is flatter and internet makes distance no longer, longer. Information is button press in almost all languages. Sub-title, translations are available in widely spoken languages. This increases viewership showing it is a commercialized world rather than a responsible world. Subtitles for native programs make younger generation to listen less of their language and read sub-titles, in turn speaking less. If willing media could make this reverse by not looking into only on commercial aspect but a mean to protect languages as part of their corporate social responsibility. After all if there is no language there is no viewership.
Individuals might survive speaking other languages but it gives a suffocated feeling when we seldom speak our own language. Pride is flashed on the face when we speak our language while a pseudo smile can be seen on those who don't. Those who give up speaking their language and take pride in foreign languages are those who lose their integrity and world. They live in an aura of illusion.Let us talk to hearts and not to be just understood. This has to be conveyed to younger generations so they value & take pride in who they are.
Technology development could be used in better ways for saving languages thereby help in saving cultures, history that we leave after we are long gone. Legacies are to be created not destroyed.
Well said dear, people in Singapore give more hype in speaking English within the same community,specifically the Tamil speaking ones..
ReplyDeleteam not proud to admit that am harbouring 2 such examples at home :(
"Tamil mella saagum" munnoor sonna pazhamozhi...let us do our best to make our language last long
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