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6.13 7:45a.m. (72 mins, 658 words)
It is a fact that many of the less-known languages have been lost or being lost all around the world. The reason lies in one feature of language, that is, a tool of communication. However, there are at least two other functions of language—a carrier of culture and a link to identity, while these two can justify my argument that the government of countries in which these language are spoken should take some effective means to prevent this extinction.
It is publicly observed that some languages have been marginalized by other powerful and wider-spoken ones, due to complicated factors, such as economic inferiority to others, globalization, less opportunity to use native language for communication and so on. Some of these countries where these lesser-known language are spoken were colonized, such as Madagascar in Africa, leaving French as the official language; Some government of these countries have enforced economic-openness policy or implement compulsory foreign language learning from elementary school, in order to boost their international trade and global business for economic development. As a natural consequence, those lesser-spoken native languages, as a tool of communication, have been decreasingly used and some of them face extinction.
However, this phenomenon is not absolutely unsolvable with the resolution and action of related governments of countries where those less-known languages are spoken. Those government should not make an excuse that how difficult they would save the languages, because merely difficulties themselves can not justify the decision of no action. Conversely, they should bear a truth in their mind that language is a carrier of their distinctive culture. Language is excluded to human beings and has advantages over other simple sounds, signs, or body language. After the first language came into existence, it held the responsibility for recording the historical events, remarkable inventions and other civilization milestones. As to a nation or ethnic, their culture handed down for generations can not exist without language. Even some languages without written system also function as cultural carries though the process of oral passing from the old generation to the young. As to a world of many nations and ethnic people, their diverse culture carried by various languages deserves learning and researching, and based on this process, human beings can not only inherit the given culture, but also create more giving one with novelty to their next generations. In this aspect, the world can be colorful and different.
Circumscribed to individuals themselves, language is closely related to their identity. Their native language works both for their communication in their groups and more importantly, for their answer to the question who they are. Individuals can not be disintegrated with customs, traditions, history, and ancestors’ contributions of their group, while these are instilled into their identity by their native language. It is ridiculous that if their native language is dying, a kid needs an adult interpreter to tell him/her the history and culture of his own group. Furthermore, it is a pity that many people will lose their group identity and sense of group belonging with the loss of their native language.
As a matter of fact, linguists have found that to learn native language can not hinder learning a second or foreign language, thus kids should not brought up to learn a foreign language at the cost of losing their own. It is also true that every language can not be still, in which some factors may become extinct, some may change, and some may absorb foreign elements. This process is called language development or evolution.
It is either irrational or irresponsible that the government of countries in which the lesser-known languages are spoken have no action in the process of extinction, remarking that there is no use for these language to communicate .They should, on the contrary, cherish, get conscious of and be proud of other significant sides of those language and this kind of faith will firm their determination in the face of potential difficulties. |
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