Thematic introduction & curated learning possibilities:
Content:
“In
Languages we live – Voices of the World”
“Kunsten at være Mlabri” (English: "The Importance of Being – MLABRI")
“Voices of the
World”: Language is the house of being
Deepening article: “How many Languages are There in the
World?”
Research project "Global distribution and drivers
of language extinction risk"
New
online learning resource for global language information and mapping data
“The
values of multilingualism as a universal human good”
Two
major reasons people should pass their heritage language onto children
Indigenous
peoples and language preservation
The
language issue is part of a bigger picture
Approximately 6,500
languages remain in our world. Previously there were many more. Now, on
average, at least one language disappears every two weeks. At this rate, the world is
on track to loose half its languages during this century! (Source)
From “The Day.
Explaining Matters. Current Affairs for Schools” (learning materials) (source)
"People
stop speaking their language, because they have no choice! If they see that
their children don't stand a chance because they don't speak the main language
in the area where they live, they have no motivation for passing their mother
tongue on to the next generation.” This is a quote from the Danish film
producer Signe Byrge Sørensen, (source) who has produced 2
recommendable films on languages:
From the film
“In Languages we live – Voices of the World”
This Danish film from 2005 presents a global
perspective on the world's language diversity.
It relates how colonization has influenced the linguistic world
map. It includes stories of both the winners and losers in the ongoing process
of linguistic change occurring throughout the world. One story is about what it
feels like to be the last person to speak your language. Another is about the
bearing a written language has on a people’s cultural survival.
Many endangered languages are spoken by small groups
of indigenous people who have limited access to economic resources and very
little influence on their country’s cultural and linguistic policy. Some 60 of
the world’s languages are spoken only by very few people.
The film also looks at the impact of young,
Western-oriented global nomads who are occupying the world with English as
their common frame of reference while at the same time struggling to maintain
contact with their origins. Ultimately, the film examines the difficult though
necessary process of translation between different languages and cultures.
The last words of the film are: “What would the world
have lost if your language had never been”?
- “In Languages we Live – Voices of the
World” Introduction and 2 clips. (2
& 3 minutes, English subtitles) (webpage)
- “In Languages we Live – Voices of the World” Danish Version: “I sproget er jeg”.
- “In Languages we Live – Voices of the World” Danish version with Spanish subtitles.
There is apparently no complete version of this film with English subtexts
available on the Internet. Although the Danish voiceover is dominant for a
couple of minutes, most characters speak English & a multitude of other languages
are also heard in small sound bits. So this film is still recommendable to
everyone.
The films "In Languages We Live" (2005) and
its sequel, "The Importance of Being – MLABRI" (2007), make up the
"Voices of the World" anthology.
From the film
“Kunsten at være Mlabri” (English: "The Importance of Being – MLABRI")
This is a Danish film from 2007 with focus on a people
whose language is dying out, although there is not one oral Danish word!
After a short introductory text, the viewers are given the
gift of being able to listen to this language before it disappears. So
just LISTEN … for 54 minutes!!!
I admit it is difficult not to zap or do something else at
the same time, but I promise you: It´s worth it. You get a deep impression of
how much is getting lost when a language disappears. (video, 54 min.)
Here is a translation of the Danish
introductory text:
The wold is a mosaic of visions
The visions are encapsulated in
language
Every time a language is lost
A unique vison of the world
disappears
There are 320 MLABRI in the world
They live in northern Thailand
They are the last ones who talks
MLABRI
LISTEN:
""Voices of the World": Language is the house of being"
Deepening article: “How many Languages are There in the
World?”
Sections in this article:
“More than you might have thought.”
“Fewer than there were last month.”
“Count the flags!" (" The notion of distinctness among languages,then, is much harder to resolve than it seems at first sight")
“At least 500 (But that´s just in
Northern Italy).”
“Only one (A biologist looks at human
language).”
Research project "Global distribution and drivers of language
extinction risk"
Do we end up speaking only 2 languages on this planet in 2050? This is
the rhetorical question by an international group of researchers who have
studied languages like you study bio systems. If yes, then it will probably be
Han Mandarin or English.
These researchers estimate that 25% of the existing 6000 languages are
threatened by extinction, and a number of languages are disappearing every
year.
New online learning
resource for global language information and mapping data from Maryland
Language Science Center
- An interactive map
offers the capability to zoom any spot on the globe, what languages are spoken
there and receive information regarding the language and its speakers. (Langscape webpage)
- Can you recognize a
language just by listening? You can play this game and learn to distinguish
languages by sound. You can select any of over 3.000 languages and also get a
marvelous impression of our globes language diversity. (Langscape webpage)
- Introduction for teachers
on learning possibilities from Kindergarten to 12th grade: “Langscape
K-12 Teachers Manual” First edition 2014. (38 pages, pdf)
“The values of
multilingualism as a universal human good”
David Crystal, a linguistics professor, says in the film "In Languages We Live": "We need to draw attention to the values of multilingualism as a universal human good, and as a personal opportunity to become culturally mature. A language acts in a sense as a straightjacket, allowing you to think in one way only. Then, unless you have exposure to other languages and therefore other experiences and other visions, that is not a very healthy situation."
David Crystal, a linguistics professor, says in the film "In Languages We Live": "We need to draw attention to the values of multilingualism as a universal human good, and as a personal opportunity to become culturally mature. A language acts in a sense as a straightjacket, allowing you to think in one way only. Then, unless you have exposure to other languages and therefore other experiences and other visions, that is not a very healthy situation."
Two
major reasons people should pass their heritage language onto children:
“First, it connects children to their
ancestors. The second is my research: Bilingualism is good for you. It makes
brains stronger. It is brain exercise.” See the Interview with cognitive
neuroscientist Ellen Bialystok (nytimes.com, article)
Indigenous peoples and
language preservation
"We can't just tell ethnic minorities
to preserve their language according to an abstract notion that it's important
that their perspective on the world exists," says the Danish film producer
Signe Byrge Sørensen, "But we can work for the world community – to
support minority groups with more resources, allowing them to preserve their
culture while they are also part of a bigger context. After all, it's not a
problem that people are multilingual. Quite the opposite." (source)
The language issue is
part of a bigger picture
You can´t be concerned
about language issues without being concerned about the fact that people are
poor and have no political rights.
The UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDG´s) do not focus directly on indigenous peoples' languages, but indirectly through a focus on living conditions and rights.
There is a great deal of consideration for indigenous peoples, especially in SDG 2 and SDG 4:
SDG 2: “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture". https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal2
SDG 4: "Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all"
In May 2017, the world goals and indigenous peoples' rights were in focus at a meeting in Copenhagen :. Here are some quotes that show the connection with SDG´s:
"If we do not stop climate change, then the rest of the world's goals will become irrelevant." (IWGIA's Chairman of the Board Knud Vilby)
“Partnerships are a focal point in the global goals”
(Goal 17: "Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development")
“If indigenous peoples are not to be lost, they must be strengthened to take part in the process leading up to September 2030, when there is a deadline to meet the 17 Sustainable Development Goals agreed by UN member states. And the empowerment of indigenous peoples comes with world goal number 17 for partnerships for the goals”
"It is the 46 articles in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples that define how we see the future and how we want to work. That is our starting point, ”. "WGIA works to fully integrate indigenous peoples' declarations into the realization of world goals."
"The world goals inspire hope for a better world - also for indigenous peoples."
Source / see the whole article in Danish at this link Click
It is important to involve yourself and
others in the debate and push for ambitious & realistic global goals!
“Whatever
you do will be insignificant, but is very important that you do it.” Mahatma Gandhi.
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To read any of the previous newsletters simply visit the blog http://teachglobalcitizenship.blogspot.dk/
Copenhagen February 2015 (updated November 2020)
Yours,
Egon Hedegaard
Independent educational consultant, instructor,
and developer of education
Email: eghedegaard@gmail.com
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