(English)

The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed 2019 the International Year of Indigenous Languages. This move is demonstrative in the recent global movement to protect native languages which have previously been conserved primarily by only the speakers themselves. Living Tongues are one such organisation who aspire to revive and document indigenous languages across the globe.

According to linguistic experts, every two weeks, the last speaker of a language dies. Information was presented to the United Nations in 2012, noting that in the next 100 years, 2,500 languages and dialects are at risk of disappearing. The languages in danger are spread across the globe, with the more severe threats facing Siberia, Northern Australia, South America, and the Northwest Pacific Plateau.

The Living Tongues cite the rise of globalisation as one of the primary factors for this disappearance, where native speakers feel as though their languages are not as economically or socially valuable as dominant languages. In a global market, there are fewer opportunities for those with a first language outside of the norm.

Historically it was economically fortuitous to adopt the language of the imperial power, especially in colonised regions. In fact, it was dangerous not to adopt the normative lanauge. To quote African language activist Ngugi Wa Thiong’o:

“The bullet was the means of physical subjugation, the language was the means of spiritual subjugation.”

In 18th century Ireland, penal laws were implemented to ban the speaking or writing of the Irish language. In the 19th century, slaves in the Caribbean were barred from speaking their native African languages. Even as recent as the 20th century, Gĩkũyũ, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Hawaiian Catalan, Galician, Kurdish, and non-Mandarin Chinese languages were just a sample of those facing persecution across the globe.

The loss of native language is greatly detrimental to culture, knowledge, and distinctive worldviews. Efforts to celebrate and conserve the 7,097 spoken languages today must continue.

 

(Irish)

D’fhógair Comhthionól Ginearálta na Náisiún Aontaithe bliain na Teangacha Dúchasach Idirnáisiúnaithe ar 2019. Léiríonn an gníomh seo an gluaiseacht domhanda nua atá ag tharla chun teangacha dúchasach a chosaint, a raibh ag déanamh ríomh seo ach ag na cainteoirí féin amháin. Tnúth leis an eagraíocht Living Tongues borradh a chur ar teangacha ar fud an domhain agus iad a cuireadh i ndoiciméid.

De réir saineolaí teangacha, gach coicís, faigheann an deireadh cainteoir do theanga éagsúla bás. Cuireadh an eolas i láthair ar na Náisiún Aontaithe i 2012 agus iad ag rá go mbeidh 2,5000 theanga in eagla imithe i gcéad bhliain. Tá an méid is mó dainseár san Sibéir, an Astráil Thuaidh, an Meiriceá Theas, agus Iarthuaisceart an tAigéin Ciúin.

Deir Living Tongues gurb domhandú é an phríomh cúis go bhfuil na teangacha dúchasach ag imeacht. Braitheann cainteoirí dúchasach nach bhfuil a dteangacha comh luachmhar ó thaobh cúrsaí eacnamaíochta nó sóisialta is a bhfuil na teangacha ceannasach. I margadh domhanda, níl an méid deiseanna i gcóir cainteoirí de teangacha taobh amuigh den mórtheangacha.

Sa stair, bhí an t-ádh eacnamaíochta ar na ndaoine a labhair teanga an cumhacht an impire go háirithe in áiteanna a tharla coilíniú. I ndáiríre, ba bhagairt tromchúiseach é do theanga féin a labhairt. Chun úsáid a bhaint as focail le gníomhachtóir Afracach Ngugi Wa Thiong’o:

“B’é an caoi de smachtú fisiceach ná an piléar. B’e an caoi de smachtú spioradúil ná an teanga.”

San 18ú céad in Éirinn, cuireadh péindlíthe i bhfeidhm chun cosc a chur ar chaint agus scríbhneoireacht as Gaeilge. Sna 19ú céad, sa Chairib, bhí cosc ar sclábhaithe a dteangacha Afracach a labhairt. Fiú sa 20ú céad ‘s é Gĩkũyũ, Úcráinis, Bealarúisis, Hávais, Catalóinis, Gailísis, Cóirídís, agus teangacha tSíneach nach bhfuil Mandairín ach sampla den teangacha a raibh faoi géarleanúint ar fud an domhain.

Is buaileadh uafásach é an cailleadh de theangacha dúchasach ó thaobh an cultúr, an eolas, agus an cruinneshamhail. Caithfidh na hiarrachtaí chun an 7,097 teangacha a bhfuil labhartha anois a ceiliúradh agus a caomhnaigh a lean ar aghaidh.

 

 

 

 

 

Sign up to our newsletter to get our top stories straight to your inbox.

Image courtesy of Mark Rasmuson via Unsplash

 

Share This