Language is Disappearing
Written by: Rylie Lamar
Language is a large part of culture, especially indigenous
culture. It is important within indigenous communities because it is deeply
connected to them. Indigenous languages set others apart from others. These
languages are centered within the United States and across the world. There are
indigenous people outside of the United States that also have an expressed
culture.
In the article The Ancient Origins of Some Dead or Dying
Languages, written by Tara Maclsaac, it states, “Language is said to be the
key to understanding a culture—the medium by which the arts and ideas of a
people have been passed down over generation. Many languages are dying in the
modern world, and linguists strive to mine and save the cultural gems embedded
therein.”
Language is important to keep an indigenous community alive
and it provides more than just a language. It provides a way of art for people.
Languages are special and some hold value to their people. Indigenous people do
not want their language or culture to disappear completely.
According to the Amber Pariona in her article, Endangered
Native Languages of the United States, she writes, “Before colonialism,
approximately 300 languages were used throughout the country. Today, there are
around 167 languages and estimates suggest that only 20 of these indigenous
languages will remain by 2050.”
This may not sound like a lot, but 133 languages are no
longer in existence. We are not long off before most or all these indigenous languages
become extinct. These calculations are just within the United States. These
calculations do not count or represent the number of indigenous languages that
are potentially endangered or extinct around the world.
There are 167 indigenous languages in the United States that
are in danger of becoming extinct. These languages include the Achumawi, the
Arapaho language of Wyoming, the Cherokee language of North Carolina and
Oklahoma, the Choctaw language of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Oklahoma. These are
just a few languages on the list of endangered languages found in the United
States.
Maclsaac writes, “Some of these languages prove particularly
precious for their rarity. ‘Linguistic isolates’ are languages that have no
connection to any known language. Some, such as Korean, are spoken by large
swaths of people; some such as Kusunda in the Himalayas, are currently spoken
by only about 7-8 people; some, such as the Indus script, haven’t been spoken
for thousands of years.”
Indigenous language is also important because they may be
rare compared to well-known languages. Most people are aware of the Korean language.
It is widely spoken within the Korean culture. Many people may not be aware of the
Kusunda language of the Himalayas. It is a rare language that makes the
Himalayas special for its indigenous people. Only 8 people speak the Kusunda
language which could disappear within the coming years. This means that the
culture that is associated with this specific indigenous culture could disappear
as well.
A language known as Resigaro is native to Peru and is
Amazonian. This language has one surviving speaker. This speaker is named Pablo
Andrade. He has been undertaking a project since 2016 to document his language to
preserve and protect it. Another Peruvian language, Chamicuro, was once
believed to have 8 surviving speakers, however this was in 2008, and the number
of surviving speakers could have dwindled. The language itself could have gone
extinct already as well as its culture.
Ngan’gikurunggurr and Alawa are both Australian indigenous
languages. In 2016 there were only 26 native speakers of Ngan’gikurunggurr. The
Alawa language had 18 remaining speakers as of 1994 but in 20016 that number
dwindled to only 4. These two languages could potentially become extinct or are
already.
According to Sarah P Young in her article Ten of the Most
Critically Endangered Languages in the World, she states “On the surface it
may seem unimportant if a language dies out because it has been replaced, but a
language holds far more power than the ability to communicate in the here and
now. Languages are a defining feature of unique cultures with rich and
captivating heritages.”
Language is important for communicating but it is also a
defining feature for different cultures. There are only certain people in the
world that can understand their language. If these people die and the language
is not passed on, then how is their culture to be interpreted. How will the
language survive if no one can pass it on? How are their stories supposed to be
heard if no one can translate? If there is no one to translate, then how are we
to believe the truth of what is being interpreted. The paragraph below gives a
good example of what happens when a language is not preserved properly.
Maclsaac writes, “Glyphs written on wooden tablets found on
Easter Island had stumped linguists. It seemed the residents of Easter Island
may have developed this form of writing only after first encountering Europeans
in 1770. Thought they may have forgotten the idea of writing from the
Spaniards, the form bears no resemblance to any known language. The indigenous
people of Ester Island, the Rapanui, were asked by the Spaniards to sign
written documents of annexation. Linguist Dr. Steven Roger Fischer, who studied
the glyphs over the course of several years, said in a paper titled ‘Rongorongo:
The Easter Island Scripts’ that the Rapanui did not seem to have writing before
this. The Signatures on the Spanish documents seem to be imitations of the
European writing rather than an existing indigenous script.”
There are numerous indigenous languages around the world
that are facing extinction or even endangerment. Language is passed down
between generations which keeps it as important as it was back then as it is
now. Tradition, stories, and other cultural entities are also important. If the
language becomes extinct then their culture slowly begins to dwindle.
Language was a part of the indigenous culture long before
colonialism. This means that some languages are far older than one may think.
Thinking back to the time Christopher Columbus settled America you can imagine
that at that time there must have been numerous tribal languages. But as you
well know with the onset of colonialism there was a lot of change.
Settlers brought forth their own ideologies as well as
disease. Disease decreased the native population. European settlers pushed
natives off their land for their own agendas and to spread their culture. They started
assimilation programs that would eradicate the Native culture. This also eradicated
the native language.
In 1879 boarding schools were launched for children. Native
children were put into boarding school to educate them. However, the education
they received was a way to rid of native culture. They were removed from their
home and separated from their families. Native languages were forbidden within
the boarding school education which meant these children forgot their
languages. They were only to speak English.
Due to boarding schools and their assimilation education for
Natives, children returned home forgetting their culture and forgetting how to
speak their native language. This impacted native languages that were becoming
endangered or extinct. Because children did not know their native language then
it was not passed down and could not be preserved.
Pariona states, “Preserving a language allows its users to
maintain a cultural identity, which allows the culture to survive.” Without
language then a culture is in jeopardy of staying relevant and alive. The
preservation of a culture give empowerment to its people. It gives them the
strength to stay bold and relevant. Natives feel a spiritual connection to
their land that gives them empowerment. The same example is the same when
compared to an indigenous language.
One way in which we can preserve indigenous languages is for
them to be widely available to others. Offering different languages to children
in school can help promote different indigenous languages. Another way to
preserve and protect indigenous languages is to record the languages. This can
help with pronunciation, grammar and even vocabulary. Recording indigenous
languages will also make it more widely available for others. This will keep it
preserved and protected.
While preserving these indigenous languages we are also
preserving indigenous culture. These cultures can be passed down within
generations so that they become more prominent in society. This means that more
people will be aware of the many different cultures within the United States as
well as around the world.
Sources:
Young, Sarah P. Ten Most Critically Endangered Languages
in the World. Ancient Origins, (2019).
Pariona, Amber. “Endangered Native Languages of the United
States.” WorldAtlas, Apr. 25, 2017.
Maclsaac, Tara. “The Ancient Origins of Some Dead or Dying
Language.” Ancient Origins, 2014.
Comments
Post a Comment