Annually, an increasing number of local dialects cease to exist which is sometimes
believed to be an insignificant issue as this only simplifies communication. I strongly
disagree with this underestimated role of local languages as they not only form the
natives’ perception of the world but also preserves priceless cultural knowledge of
indigenous communities.
A language is a window through which natives see the world and its loss might impair
this natural perception. A community dialect by its nature is a unique way to store and
structure information in the brain. To illustrate, the way people perceive colours differs
significantly among speakers of different languages. For instance, the indigenous
population of Canada is able to differentiate a number of shadows of green while the
spectrum that Canadians can name is more limited. Therefore, having lost their
language, this population would have their way of perception of information impaired if
not completely destroyed. This damage cannot be compensated with a subjective
simplicity of communication with fewer languages.
Cognitive function apart, the variety of languages also facilitate multigenerational
exchange which contributes to the preservation of the indigenous cultural heritage. The
common language unites a community, making it more coherent, which is of the essence
in today’s increasingly disconnected society. A prime example is some Indian
communities in the US which, since their rights for education in the local language were
acknowledged, have gone through a period of cultural revitalization when many
traditions were brought back to life. Therefore, the local language allows a group to
continue as a group and not to be culturally merged by the global society with its
seemingly convenient communication in just a few international languages.
In conclusion, I believe that endangered local dialects should be an issue of global
concern. Even though a variety of languages might present a certain amount of difficulty
for international communication, it is this diversity that preserves unique ways of
perceiving the world along with the priceless cultural legacy of indigenous communities.
Annually
, an increasing number of
local
dialects cease to exist which is
sometimes
believed
to be an insignificant issue as this
only
simplifies
communication
. I
strongly
disagree with this underestimated role of
local
languages
as they not
only
form the
natives’ perception of the world
but
also
preserves priceless
cultural
knowledge of
indigenous
communities.
A
language
is a window through which natives
see
the world and its loss might impair
this
natural perception. A community dialect by its nature is a unique way to store
and
structure
information in the brain. To illustrate, the way
people
perceive
colours
differs
significantly
among speakers of
different
languages
.
For instance
, the
indigenous
population of Canada is able to differentiate a number of shadows of green while the
spectrum
that Canadians can name is more limited.
Therefore
, having lost their
language, this population would have their way of perception of information impaired if
not
completely
destroyed
. This damage cannot
be compensated
with a
subjective
simplicity
of
communication
with fewer languages.
Cognitive function apart, the variety of
languages
also
facilitate multigenerational
exchange
which contributes to the preservation of the indigenous
cultural
heritage. The
common
language
unites a community, making it more coherent, which is of the essence
in
today
’s
increasingly
disconnected society. A prime example is
some
Indian
communities in the US which, since their rights for education in the
local
language
were
acknowledged
, have gone through a period of
cultural
revitalization when
many
traditions
were brought
back to life.
Therefore
, the
local
language
allows
a group to
continue as a group and not to be
culturally
merged by the global society with its
seemingly
convenient
communication
in
just
a few international languages.
In conclusion
, I believe that endangered
local
dialects should be an issue of global
concern
.
Even though
a variety of
languages
might present a certain amount of
difficulty
for international
communication
, it is this diversity that preserves unique ways of
perceiving
the world along with the priceless
cultural
legacy of indigenous communities.