Deutsche Welle - February 23, 2007
Languages are the soul of humanity. Languages are the intellectual heritage of humanity. They are born, evolve, and in some cases, are doomed to extinction. If we begin our efforts to save languages, it will benefit us. We must do everything we can to protect languages, and this will be achieved through a multilingual educational system...
These are excerpts from the speech by the Director-General of UNESCO at the 2004 International Mother Language Day ceremony. For the past eight years, February 21st has been recognized as International Mother Language Day. In fact, this day was proposed by Bangladesh, which submitted a proposal to UNESCO in November 1999. The Bangladesh proposal and the World Federation of Mother Language Associations were approved by the member states at the 30th General Conference of UNESCO. Earlier, linguists had warned that 40% of the world’s languages were at risk of extinction in this century.
Humans understand each other through speaking. The process of human development in society is passed down to future generations through language. If a language is taken away from a human society, the social cycle comes to a halt. Language is sometimes referred to as a cultural capital. When we speak of preserving, developing, and strengthening the culture of a society, it is language that connects the past and present of that society. Denying the right to speak in a particular language of any ethnic group or culture threatens the natural and human relationships among people. Advocates of linguistic diversity say that a culture of peace will flourish when people are allowed to use their mother tongue naturally.
Language is one of the most important and vital components of our lives, thoughts, and behaviors. Few would say that they do not enjoy speaking in their mother tongue in daily life. Each of us, no matter how fluent we are in a language other than our mother tongue, finds that the language we first spoke and communicated in is the one most vital for expressing emotions or understanding.
At the 55th session of the United Nations General Assembly, it was stated that International Mother Language Day promotes mutual respect for different cultures and languages and enriches cultures. It was emphasized that the UN and UNESCO are looking for ways to preserve languages as a shared human heritage and are recommending multilingual education systems to countries. Did you know that there are 6,000 to 7,000 linguistic varieties in our world? David Crystal, a British linguist, equates the importance of linguistic diversity to human diversity. He interprets the rational force of language as being equivalent to the biological capacity of humans and states that the extinction of any language means the extinction of a particular worldview.
In a country like India, around 80 languages are used at different stages of development. In Africa, there are about 200 languages, although the most common ones are English, Portuguese, Spanish, and French. In Iran, no official study has been conducted on the number of dialects or languages, but due to the ethnic diversity of the country, a significant portion of Iranians speak Kurdish, Turkish, Balochi, Turkmen, Arabic, Shahmirzadi, and many other dialects and languages. Despite the recognition of the right to education in one’s mother tongue in Articles 15 and 19 of the Iranian Constitution, it must be said that the deprivation of this right causes suffering among ethnic minorities in Iran.
As we mentioned earlier, experts believe that the right to speak or be educated in one’s mother tongue contributes to the flourishing of a culture of peace and harmony. With this reminder, we sit down to speak with one of the Kurdish civil rights activists, Bahaddin Adab. One of the constant demands of Kurds is education in their mother tongue in schools and the respect of their culture. Mr. Adab, who served as a member of parliament in the 6th Islamic Consultative Assembly, refers to the central government’s concern over speaking or teaching the local language, which is perceived as a political threat to national unity. Bahaddin Adab rejects this view and says:
“In a small country like Switzerland, people speak four languages: Italian, English, French, and German, yet Switzerland remains united. There is a law in physics that says every action has a reaction. When a country respects different cultures, its people are happy and live together, but when a central authority denies their identity, resistance arises. Take Canada, for example. Can young people in Quebec, Canada, who speak French, not study and work in British Columbia, Canada? These things do not hinder each other. In our country, Arabic and English are taught simultaneously, but why should Kurdish or other languages be ignored? It is a basic human right to preserve one's culture. The most prominent element of any ethnic group or nation is its language.”
On the occasion of International Mother Language Day, a number of Kurdish students gathered in front of the Faculty of Literature at the University of Tehran. Sirwan Saidi, one of the attendees, mentioned that there were about 200 participants. Sirwan Saidi says about the importance of mother tongue:
“Language is one of the most fundamental elements of the existence and identity of nations. Language carries the thoughts and culture of every nation. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, every nation has the right to use its own language. It seems that hindering the development of any language is like boycotting thought.”
Sirwan Saidi adds about the harm caused by preventing the use of the mother tongue:
“A person who has spoken their mother tongue until the age of seven or eight, and then is told at school to speak in another language, this is a form of linguistic murder. It is painful. You have to think differently, constantly translate in your mind, and this leads to the loss of many creative ideas and talents.”
Finally, it must be said that according to recent findings by researchers on the impact of teaching children in their mother tongue, UNESCO considers a multilingual educational system to be the key to preserving mother tongues and recommends it to all countries.
The link to the original article in Farsi on Deutsche Welle Persian:
اهميت زبان مادرى در چيست؟