Date: Tuesday, 17th September 2024
Author: Zoha Najeeb
Country: Pakistan
Source: Hello in multiple languages [Freepik]
SUMMARY
Endangered languages in the East face extinction due to globalization, migration, and dominance of major languages. These languages are not only modes of communication but also vessels of cultural heritage and specialized knowledge, such as local medicinal practices and ecological insights. Efforts to revive dying languages, like Punjabi and Modern Hebrew, show that preservation is possible, yet challenges remain, particularly for spoken-only languages. While some view language extinction as natural, others argue that preserving these languages is essential to safeguarding human diversity and history. Technology and social media now play a role in revitalizing endangered languages.
BACKGROUND
The East, known for its cultural diversity, is also home to numerous endangered languages that are on the verge of extinction. These languages, often spoken by small, isolated communities, are disappearing at an alarming rate. Experts estimate that a language dies out every two weeks, with more than half of the world's 7,000 languages under threat. While language extinction is not new, the speed at which it is happening in the modern age raises questions about what this loss means for cultural heritage, identity, and even scientific knowledge.
Why Are Endangered Languages Important?
Endangered languages are more than just means of communication; they are vessels of culture, tradition, and history. For many communities, language is the cornerstone of their identity. It carries their folklore, songs, and ancestral knowledge. As Noam Chomsky said, "A language is not just words. It's a culture, a tradition, a unification of a community" (Chomsky, 2000).
In Pakistan, for example, regional languages like Punjabi faced near extinction centuries ago, but the efforts of saints like Baba Farid and Guru Nanak helped revive the language through poetry and spiritual teachings. This resurgence not only saved the language but also preserved a vast literary heritage. Similarly, Egyptian hieroglyphs helped historians uncover critical insights into ancient civilizations. Without these languages, significant portions of history and cultural identity would have been lost.
Preserving Knowledge
Endangered languages can also be reservoirs of specialized knowledge. In many cases, indigenous languages contain information on local ecology, medicinal plants, and traditional practices that are not found in dominant global languages. For example, Paul Alan Cox, an ethnobotanist, discovered life-saving herbal cures from Samoan healers that are now used in modern medicine (Cox, 2009). These types of knowledge may be lost forever if the languages containing them disappear.
David Harrison, co-founder of the Living Tongues Institute, highlights the danger: "There is no monopoly on human genius" (Harrison, 2007). He suggests that the answers to some of today’s most pressing problems could be hidden in these threatened languages, especially in fields like environmental science and medicine.
Globalization and Language Loss
Globalization has played a significant role in the loss of linguistic diversity. The rise of global communication, commerce, and media has made major languages like English, Mandarin, and Spanish dominant, pushing smaller languages to the fringes. In many cases, rural-urban migration contributes to this, as people adopt city languages, leaving their native tongues behind. For example, in Karachi, Pakistan, residents primarily speak Urdu or English, sidelining regional languages like Dharki and Loarki.
Yet, globalization has also sparked a renewed interest in preserving cultural identity. While the early phases of globalization seemed to promote a single global identity, recent trends have encouraged people to reclaim their unique heritage, including their languages. Technology is now being used to revitalize endangered languages, with social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter offering spaces where young people can communicate in their native tongues (Lenihan, 2011).
Challenges and Success Stories
Despite the importance of endangered languages, their preservation faces significant challenges. Some linguists argue that language extinction is a natural process and that resources should be focused elsewhere. Others believe the loss of a language is akin to the loss of a species and deserves efforts to be saved. For example, languages like Modern Hebrew and Belarusian were successfully revived after facing near extinction (Fellman, 1973).
Technological advances, such as the use of audiotapes, dictionaries, and digital archives, have made it easier to document endangered languages before they disappear. However, spoken-only languages like Domari in Lebanon are harder to preserve. Without written records, once the last speaker dies, the language is likely lost forever.
Conclusion
The question of whether endangered languages in the East should be saved is not just a linguistic debate but a cultural, scientific, and ethical one. These languages are not merely modes of communication; they hold the key to preserving human history, identity, and untapped knowledge. While the challenges are significant, the potential loss of these languages could be far more costly. In an increasingly globalized world, saving endangered languages may also be a way of safeguarding the diversity that makes our world unique.
REFERENCES
Cox, P. A. (2009). Ethnobotany and the search for new drugs. John Wiley & Sons.
Fellman, J. (1973). The revival of a classical tongue: Eliezer Ben Yehuda and the modern Hebrew language. Mouton & Co.
Harrison, K. D. (2007). When languages die: The extinction of the world's languages and the erosion of human knowledge. Oxford University Press.
Lenihan, A. (2011). Language and social media: Can technology save endangered languages? New Media and Society, 13(4), 651-667.
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