[经典批改讨论] Issue13 反全球化问题之小语种与政府保护 [复制链接]

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发表于 2004-3-5 22:17:32 |只看该作者 |倒序浏览

[B]13. "Many of the world's lesser-known languages are being lost as fewer and fewer people speak them. The governments of countries in which these languages are spoken should act to prevent such languages from becoming extinct."

世界上很多的小语种都快要消失了，因为越来越少的人在使用这些语言。使用这些小语种的国家应该采取行动以防止这样的语言逐渐销声匿迹。

反全球化问题之小语种与政府保护

We are now living in a world with far-reaching trend of globalization. There is much heated debate over whether the governments of counties in which their languages on the brim of extinction should intervene to prevent such lesser-known languages becoming extinct. I agree in so far as a country's language should not be forgot and thrown away, for languages and culture are inextricably related. At some point, however, I advocate that the lesser-know languages should give way to more practical universal official language.

To begin with, there is a necessity to give a clear definition of the languages which we are discussing here. The lesser-known languages being lost is due to the lost of their population. They are different from the dialects of daily use in some provinces, which, controversially, need no special protection from the governments from disappeared. Unless this base line is endorsed, in my view, the issue can come to terms.

On the one hand, as the saying goes "where there is a different language, there is a unique culture. Each language is a mirror of the culture of a certain geographical region, for the origin, growth and distinction of each language is accompanied by the beginning, thriving, changing, ebb and flow of a culture. To some patriots, the extinction of a language may equal the diminished sense of dignity and pride. Therefore, maintaining of the variety of languages is important and necessary in the present day. As we all know that the people of continental Europe cling tenaciously to their threatened languages. The French government even assembles many academic authorities to obliterate borrowed words in order to resist the language assimilation and keep the purity of their own language.

What’s more, different culture has its distinctive traditions, rituals, morals, beliefs, which needs their own language to embody their characteristic. The Eskimo, for an instance, has more than twenty words to describe the color white. If one has the basic knowledge of Eskimo, one will not be surprised by this fact that the Eskimo is really a people of ice and snow. If the language disappeared, we may fail to find any proper substitute.

One the other hand, as an expression tool, language serves mainly for the convenience of communication. Lesser-known languages, on the contrary, will inevitably leads to language barriers. In today's high-tech world of satellite communications, global mobility, and especially the Internet, language barriers serve primarily to impede cross-cultural communication, which in turn impedes international exchange. India, famous for its software programs, dominates a great share of the production of this field. A significant element to their success is their official language. Though it is not their native language, it is the universal language and the language of programming. By contrast, most tribes of aborigines who confine themselves to their lesser-known languages suffer from depressed plagues--such as hunger, homelessness, disease, ignorance, poverty, and poor education.

Since the drawbacks of language barriers in daily life outweigh the importance of a dying language, and the appeals to nationwide spoken may cause a great deal of time, energy, human resources, the government should handle it rationally and properly. Many alternative and effective methods can be applied. For example, the government should induct their citizens to master a universal and official language, say as English, to stimulate and enhance the prosperity of the whole nation. Meanwhile, the government should offer sufficient financial support and manpower to make record and study of the losing language as soon as possible. For example, special department aimed at the study and documentation of traditional culture and language should be set up, in which linguists can have sufficient funds and tools to work efficiently. And the mass media like internet, TV and radio programs should put into practice to offer valuable material to those who are really interested in learning the indigenous language. Such methods which call for a relatively small population to study are not passive, undue and costly approaches.

To sum up, as the precious legacy handed down by ancestors, an indigenous and distinct language which can embody the characteristic of a culture is a prominent key to the study and preservation of a culture and many historical events. However, a lesser-known language also leads to language barriers and, as a result, these barriers may breed misunderstanding, distrust discord and even conflict among nations. On balance, the government should devote more financial and manpower resources to provide a better atmosphere for its citizen to master a universal official language along with proper, effective and economical methods of prevention of their own lesser-known language.