Why Save A Language? Here's why:
We're losing so many languages everyday, does it really even matter? What do we really lose by losing a language? Language is, after all, just a medium of communication. To that, I say no; a language is a lot more than meets the eye. Languages are more than just modes of communication - they hold centuries of culture, history, myths, and wisdom - things that will die with their respective languages - things which should be passed down to the newer generations, to keep these languages, and the lessons they hold, alive.
First things first: how are languages going extinct in the first place? This happens because of a phenomenon called "language shift". Language shift is the process in which people abandon (or "shift" from) their native language, and start speaking a major language instead. This can happen due to a variety of possible reasons;
1. Urbanisation - When people move from smaller town to find jobs in bigger cities as a result of a recent abundance of job opportunities in the secondary and tertiary sectors of the industry, they learn the ways and the language of the people there in order to make it easier for them to communicate.
2. Colonization - When one country colonizes another, it integrates its own culture and language into it as well. In the past, countries such as England and France have colonized a lot of countries, making them two of the most widely spoken languages today.
3. Globalization - When people settle in a country that isn't their native one for job opportunities, education, or otherwise, they no longer have people of their own kind to interact with in their native language, and thus lose touch with it. If such people were to have children outside of their native country, it is unlikely that the language will be completely passed down to all of the future generations.
...to name a few.
Why is the Irish language a victim of language shifting? This occurred as a result of British rule over Ireland in the 1800s. After years of introducing English into Ireland's education systems and firms, the Republic of Ireland was formed, while the British retained Northern Ireland. Despite the fact that the Republic of Ireland replaced English with Irish as its official language, a majority of its residents had already switched to speaking in English, leading to the lack of Irish speakers today.
Every language matters - help save your own language today!
First things first: how are languages going extinct in the first place? This happens because of a phenomenon called "language shift". Language shift is the process in which people abandon (or "shift" from) their native language, and start speaking a major language instead. This can happen due to a variety of possible reasons;
1. Urbanisation - When people move from smaller town to find jobs in bigger cities as a result of a recent abundance of job opportunities in the secondary and tertiary sectors of the industry, they learn the ways and the language of the people there in order to make it easier for them to communicate.
2. Colonization - When one country colonizes another, it integrates its own culture and language into it as well. In the past, countries such as England and France have colonized a lot of countries, making them two of the most widely spoken languages today.
3. Globalization - When people settle in a country that isn't their native one for job opportunities, education, or otherwise, they no longer have people of their own kind to interact with in their native language, and thus lose touch with it. If such people were to have children outside of their native country, it is unlikely that the language will be completely passed down to all of the future generations.
...to name a few.
Why is the Irish language a victim of language shifting? This occurred as a result of British rule over Ireland in the 1800s. After years of introducing English into Ireland's education systems and firms, the Republic of Ireland was formed, while the British retained Northern Ireland. Despite the fact that the Republic of Ireland replaced English with Irish as its official language, a majority of its residents had already switched to speaking in English, leading to the lack of Irish speakers today.
Every language matters - help save your own language today!
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Great post, I completely agree that we should prioritize saving our languages, because they're a part of every one of us. Thanks gor writing this!
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