By Saeed Peyvandi - Radio Farda - February 22, 2011
Half of the approximately 6,700 languages spoken by people across the continents are on the verge of extinction. UNESCO's General Conference declared February 21 as International Mother Language Day in 1999, in response to the threat faced by humanity’s rich and diverse linguistic heritage—a vital part of the cultural legacy of human civilization. Iran, due to its vast number of local languages and dialects in various geographic regions, is among the world's most vulnerable areas in terms of linguistic diversity.
Mother Tongue
In the field of humanities, "mother tongue" refers to the first language a child learns after birth through interaction with their surroundings. Those born into bilingual families who simultaneously learn two languages have two mother tongues.
The significance of this definition lies in its connection to an individual's identity and cultural affiliation. Languages are also a part of the cultural and identity capital of any society. Although linguists often debate the distinction between languages and what are referred to as dialects or local vernaculars, the term "mother tongue" generally encompasses the broader concept of language.
The languages and dialects we recognize today have lived and evolved alongside civilizations and human societies over centuries, undergoing profound changes and reflecting the complexities of human history.
Since the 19th century, industrialization and societal development have often disregarded local languages. The dominant belief was that linguistic diversity hindered societal progress, particularly for minorities. Many countries opted for the "simpler" path of imposing an official language (typically the one used by the majority or the elites) on everyone, neglecting local languages and minority tongues. Some even replaced native languages with foreign ones to accelerate economic development.
The establishment of an official language for communication and education has often marginalized other languages and dialects. The rise of written language, alongside advancements in science and education, has further harmed linguistic diversity, as many languages lack written traditions or have minimal literary presence.
The complexity of the phenomenon of the mother tongue in today's world also relates to the disparities between geographic and political boundaries on one hand, and cultural and linguistic boundaries on the other. No country in the world is monolingual, and few languages are confined to the geographic boundaries of a single country.
This reality complicates a nation’s language policies, sometimes adding political dimensions. Widespread international migration and the emergence of new minority groups in many countries further complicate the issue, especially since these new minority groups often lack a specific homeland, and their geographic dispersion increases the risk of their language being isolated or gradually forgotten.
Neglecting the individual, collective, and social aspects of languages—particularly minority languages and oral dialects—has led to the extinction of a significant part of this immense cultural capital. The marginalization of these languages and dialects has caused a portion of history, symbolic existence, literature, music, traditions, and culture to be forgotten.
In the past half-century, globalization and the growing dominance of major international languages have posed even greater challenges for smaller languages. The role of language in society cannot be separated from power dynamics.
Languages must adapt, evolve, and exhibit creativity to survive in today’s rapidly changing cultural and scientific landscape.
Currently, over 70% of the world’s scientific publications are in English, and five major languages dominate over 90% of scientific output. International languages like English, French, and Spanish have gained richness and structural complexity due to their global status, making it difficult for smaller languages to compete in scientific, communicative, and cultural domains.
Mother Tongue Education
One of the most critical issues surrounding the mother tongue is its relationship with the language used in a country’s educational system. Due to its widespread reach and its role in language acquisition and cultural adaptation, education systems have become the most important mechanism for preserving and revitalizing languages. Since the 19th century, two major trends have emerged in relation to official educational languages.
The first trend involves selecting and imposing a single language (the majority language in multilingual countries or the colonial language in former colonies) on all citizens. One major justification for this choice has been the role of educational policies in fostering a unified collective and national identity while preventing potential fragmentation and separatist tendencies. Historically, France has been a strong proponent of this approach.
In the early 20th century, approximately six million people in France spoke a mother tongue different from the majority language. This policy of uniform education in French as the sole official language significantly weakened local languages and led to the widespread use of French. France is the only European Union country that has refused to ratify the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages due to its contradiction with the French Constitution.
The second trend includes countries that recognize linguistic diversity among minorities and allow them to learn their languages in schools (either as a primary or secondary language). Policies supporting linguistic diversity in education sometimes involve equal coexistence of multiple languages and sometimes entail a dominant language alongside minority language education opportunities. Switzerland, Canada, and Belgium have historically implemented policies of equal multilingual education.
Another notable example is India, which has 22 official educational languages. A more recent experience is Spain, which adopted such policies in the early 1980s.
Sociological research shows that multilingual policies in education have positive effects on preserving and promoting local cultures and cultural heritage and make formal education more appealing for minorities. However, multilingual education systems can, unexpectedly, exacerbate inequalities among linguistic groups in some cases.
This issue is particularly evident in countries with stark social and economic disparities between majorities and minorities or among large minority groups. In nations where the majority language holds significant scientific and cultural status, minorities often fail to access the symbolic and cultural capital needed for personal advancement at the national level due to their focus on learning their native language. This is why some countries simultaneously emphasize teaching the official and international languages in addition to the mother tongue in their educational programs. The goal of these policies is to prevent mother tongue education for minorities from becoming a tool of socio-political dominance by the linguistic majority.
Mother Tongue Education in Iran
According to the 2006 census, around 27% of Iran’s population (19 million people) live in regions home to large minorities who speak languages other than Persian. Alongside these minorities are the numerous diverse dialects across different provinces, which to varying degrees differ from Persian or are closely related branches of it.
In some small regions, within a few dozen kilometers, multiple local dialects can be found, each with its own history and structure. Meanwhile, large-scale population movements in Iran have led to significant minority presence (especially Turks and Kurds) in Persian-speaking areas. Despite the quantitative size of minorities, native languages such as Turks, Kurdish, Arabic, and Baluchi have no presence in Iran’s education system.
Statistical studies indicate that access to education in Iran’s minority regions is noticeably lower than in Persian-speaking areas. For example, while literacy rates in 2006 exceeded 90% in central Persian-speaking provinces like Tehran, Isfahan, Semnan, and Yazd, this figure was just 68% in Sistan and Baluchistan and 75% in Kurdistan.
These disparities are even greater in terms of retention within the educational system or access to higher education. Rural areas and remote cities in Iran’s border provinces, where Persian is not spoken, are also the most educationally deprived regions. For example, the likelihood of a rural girl in Sistan and Baluchistan accessing higher education is, on average, eight times lower than that of a girl from Tehran.
While these inequalities are not solely due to linguistic challenges or differing mother tongues—poverty and underdevelopment are significant contributing factors—as sociological studies clearly show, imposing the majority language as a form of cultural dominance has numerous negative effects on the social and educational development of minority regions.
Since the establishment of the modern education system, Iran's language policies in education have never prioritized local languages and dialects. There is no inherent contradiction between universal Persian language education as the national and official language of all Iranians and the teaching of local languages and dialects.
Currently, extensive efforts are made to teach Arabic (a religious language and the language of the Quran) as a third language in Iran’s schools. Yet, approximately one-third of Iranian students cannot even learn their mother tongue at the elementary level, and some must learn to read and write in a language unfamiliar to them.
This policy constitutes a form of symbolic violence against children who experience a kind of cultural humiliation and are denied the opportunity to deeply engage with the primary cultural heritage of their social group through formal education.
Many of Iran’s local languages and dialects could have been revitalized by integrating them into the education system, schools, and universities, creating a platform for the preservation of this multi-thousand-year-old cultural heritage. These languages and dialects are not merely simple tools of communication; each carries within it the history, traditions, culture, and life of a region and a human community.
UNESCO’s 1999 initiative to name February 21 as Mother Language Day serves as a call to resist the growing marginalization and extinction of minority languages, small regional languages, and migrant languages worldwide.
The link to the original article in Farsi on Radio Farda:
ایران و مسالهای به نام زبان مادری