What is the value of preserving indigenous languages?
The significance of indigenous languages is resembled through
a plant, where the firm, green stem is
the native language, that if constantly watered by its people in the means of
care and attention, will grow to form many connected branches, in which embody
the language's culture, customs, religion, identity, and community. Therefore,
when this stem is standing strong as a result of constant maintenance, so will
the language's culture, people, religion, customs, and identity.
These
indigenous languages established linguistic bases that many other languages followed,
enabling communities to share religions, cultures, and traditions through their
means of communication. The language of aboriginals, lift whole communities,
while securing their
existent cultural connections as well as spiritual traditions. When one's indigenous language is preserved,
their identity is positively affirmed.
If
this valuable stem was not maintained through its people attention and use, the
linked branches will perish and this strong connection between the native
language and its culture, traditions, and religion is broken, causing the loss
of their traditional background that one community once shared.
Securing
and preserving the languages of the aboriginals is also necessary not only to uphold
culture and identity, but to preserve their rich vocabulary used within the
natural world. The
ancient languages of the aboriginals once formed strong interactions with the
natural world, in terms of ecosystems, animals, plants, and the wilderness,
that is nature. In addition medicinal terminology is described through the
words of the indigenous languages, and these words have no translations in
other languages. This is very much key to the scientific world, as certain
discoveries have been made through the indigenous languages that scientists
still haven’t discovered.
Taken
as a whole, the value of preserving indigenous languages is shown through its
effective response of strengthening individual communities, as well as
preserving cultural diversity, which is necessary in maintaining a varied, intricate,
and intriguing world.
It is written very well and has good information! I agreed on the point that securing and preserving the languages of the aboriginals is also necessary not only to uphold culture and identity, but to preserve their rich vocabulary used within the natural world. Like the rich vocabularies we found on the documentary we watched from English, I felt that there are still many languages that is being extinct that has valuable discoveries that western culture could not achieve.
ReplyDeleteThis is quite an interesting read Deema! You make good points and made relevant comments to the way indigenous languages should be seen. However, do you agree that a culture dies with the loss of it's language?
ReplyDelete