By Dr Laila Abdel Aal Alghalban
In commemoration of the International Mother Language Day, held annually on 21 February, UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay stresses the need for millions of people around the world to have access to speak their mother languages and receive education in them. “This is essential, because when 40 per cent of the world’s inhabitants do not have access to education in the language they speak or understand best, it hinders their learning, as well as their access to heritage and cultural expressions,” she said. In tribute to the Language Movement of the Bangladeshis’ fight for the recognition of the Bangla language in the seventies, UNESCO announced 21 February to be the International Mother Language Day to celebrate multilingualism and multiculturalism.
Rebranding ‘nation states’
On reading Azoulay’s message on the UN website, I was awed by the startling figure and wondered how come can we be satisfied with such linguistic injustice and live on with millions of people pressured to give up their mother languages to assimilate and lose their identity and the magic of their tongues in what is called ‘nation states’, where the majority of people are despotically forced to share one culture, language, heritage, philosophy and even dogma? I have really mulled over that concept a lot; I think it would be much fairer, more compassionate and more representative or inclusive if the term is rebranded to be ‘states’ or ‘mother states’.
Why mother language matters
Migration has been a key reason for new comers, especially children,to dump their mother languages, and learn in a language other than their mother tongue, a matter that has a lot of psychological and educational repercussions. Studies show that those who learn in their mother languages have a high level of self-esteem, better understand the curriculum, develop favourable feelings towards schooling, demonstrate more remarkable linguistic and literary skills, and acquire a second language faster. “Children with a strong foundation in their first language often display a deeper understanding of themselves and their place within society, along with an increased sense of well being and confidence. Naturally, this flows down into every aspect of their lives, including their academic achievement,” wrote Bob Tomblin in The Independent.
Multilingual education is an asset
According to UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report (GEM Report), children learning in bilingual and multilingual education systems get higher grades, have higher self-esteem, show more tolerance and positive attitudes towards others, all of which are prerequisites to build inclusive societies.
Heart-wrenching stories
On the other hand, adopting exclusionary policies would definitely lead to the death of many languages; many face ‘linguicide’ due to the nation state policies of linguistic conformity. The underprivileged communities could not often cope with the scarcity of resources, lack of opportunities, and education in languages they do not understand. They were forced to renounce their languages and cultures to assimilate.I sadly remember the story of many languages that fell into disuse as its native speakers deserted them under the pressures of assimilation to dominant cultures and languages. “I do regret it, but now that I’m 32 there is no chance I can learn Badeshi. I’m very sad at the prospect that this language will die out with my father,” said the son of Rahim Gul, one of the last three speakers of Badeshi, to the BBC. Badeshi lost its territory in a remote mountainous region in Pakistan to the regionally dominant language Torwali, currently endangered too.
‘Language Vitality and Endangerment’ (LVE)
According to the UNESCO’s assessment of ‘Language Vitality and Endangerment’(LVE), endangered languages lack intergenerational language transmission, have few speakers, do not respond to new domains and media, lack materials for language education and literacy, are stigmatised officially and communally, and are not or barley documented.
Bottom-up action
When people speak and learn intheir languages in inclusive, compassionate and peaceful societies, new avenues to education, investments, and poverty reduction open more likely than ever. Equally important is the role of local communities, technically termed “bottom-up action”.
Happy Mother Language Day!
Finally, linguistic and cultural diversity should not be regarded as a divisive exclusionary factor in today’s world. To speak an additional language means that you are given additional eyes to see and understand the world.
By Dr Laila Abdel Aal Alghalban Professor of linguistics Faculty of Arts Kafr el-sheikh University
Email: [email protected]
