Using a Language as a Tool for Resistence

The resurgence of endangered languages means that cultures can regrow and furthermore expand. Currently, the majority of fluent Irish speakers are under the age of 25. This means that at some point, the language was on the way to dying out. However, the adults taught their children the language and managed to begin saving the language. The possible extinction of a language becomes worrying when children no longer speak the language. When this began to happen in New Zealand, the elder Maori speakers made sure to teach the Maori children in order to save the language. The argument is that the loss of a language is loss of cultural identity. So when the number of Irish and Maori speakers decreased, the people knew they should teach the children and save the language. Both languages took this similar approach, meaning that language really does have cultural value, and they cannot have their culture without their language being involved. Timoti Karetu, head of the Maori Language Commission says that, "Language is absolutely important to cultural integrity and survival." This goes for both Irish and Maori. Their languages can be used as tools of resistance due to the fact that teaching the language and having people speak the language fights against the extinction of the language. The article also suggests that helping a language survive will also help the culture survive.

In addition to these endangered languages being regrown, we can learn that languages are not only important for cultural value. Other endangered languages, such as Kallawaya have great value to the world. The extinction of this language could result in the loss of life saving information, as this language provides medicinal knowledge that is unknown to the Western world. And so people are researching these languages so spread them and reveal useful information, as well as keeping a culture alive. Therefore, people use a language to fight against the extinction of the language, culture, and the extinction of useful information.

Comments

  1. Noor18 January 2017 at 07:44

    I like how you mention examples of populations such as the Irish that are working hard in preserving their now considered dying languages. It is true that it is important to preserve languages because of cultural values, but when a population ceases to utilize its own language and uses other dominant languages instead should it be our duty to preserve these languages when its own population felt no need to? It may sound heartless, but we need to consider the fact that as a species we are always evolving and languages such as English were not what they used to be years ago. English has evolved and in fact it has become "easier", so is the loss of languages necessarily a bad thing when it has been going on for quite a while now causing no harm what so ever? The only difference in my opinion is that we have become more self aware.

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  2. Noor18 January 2017 at 07:50

    Take the rediscovery of the Chulum language for example. One of the Siberian languages that had almost been wiped out by the Russians. The language was considered low and many of its speakers felts ashamed to use it years later a few speakers survived, but did not pass it down even though they had the option. This did not impact the small Siberian community as they carried out their normal lives whilst preserving their culture , but in another language.

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