First of all, apart from Welsh, we had to use Maori to discuss it with it. Why are these two languages mentioned? Because one of these two languages is in the UK and the other is in New Zealand, the first common language of these two countries is English, the Mandarin spoken in the world today. Take them out and talk about them, because they are all successful cases of protecting dialects. The similarities in the actions they took when protecting languages can allow us to discover something and understand the future of dialects.
Wales, located in the southwest corner of the British Isles, the core area of the British Empire, has the local native language-Welsh. However, due to the improper language policy of the British government, by 1971, only 17% of the local population aged 10 to 14 could speak Welsh. The same situation also occurs in New Zealand, an English-speaking country in the southern hemisphere, and it is even worse: In New Zealand's history, for a long time, the government has stipulated that all indigenous Māori students are strictly prohibited from using Māori in schools, and offenders will be subject to corporal punishment. This situation continued until 1960. [1]A survey in the 1970s showed that only 23.3% of Maori people can speak Maori, and most of them are over 40 years old. Less than 1% of children under 5 can speak Maori. [2]However, time has passed
. With the further development of world culture and the awakening of mother tongue consciousness, many minor languages have started a mother tongue revival movement. The supporters here also include many native English speakers. Because everyone recognizes that language diversity is the foundation of cultural diversity, and diverse cultures are beneficial to all people living in this world. This truth is as self-evident as the significance of protecting the diversity of biological species. In Wales, there were programs broadcast in Welsh in the 1960s. Since the 1970s, the momentum for learning Welsh in various schools has been higher and higher. In the 1980s, there has been a Welsh channel: S4C, published in 1993. The Law declares that Welsh has the same status as English in Welsh. In New Zealand, the first mother-tongue kindergarten Kohanga Reo (Māori meaning "language nest") appeared in 1971. However, due to the language gap, only Maori old people of the grandparents' generation could engage in mother tongue revival education in such kindergartens. As the situation continued to improve, New Zealand had 123 secondary schools and 100 elementary schools teaching Maori in 1976. Three years later, the number increased to 170, and the number of primary schools increased to 250. By the 1990s, Maori language schools had spread all over the country. In 1987, Maori became one of the official languages of New Zealand. In July 2001, Maori-language TV stations started broadcasting. The Maori-language TV stations broadcast in Maori and English. There are 7 legally regulated Maori-language TV programs. Maori-language programs are broadcast to viewers during prime time, no less than 3 hours a day.
From the above examples, we can see the following points: First, the promotion of a common language is an effective means to reduce barriers and facilitate communication, but maintaining language diversity is also the consensus of the world today; second, the revival of endangered languages starts with early childhood education ; Third, there is a spontaneous mother tongue revival education first, and then a protection policy is introduced.
from Google
In 2001, the "UNESCO Universal Declaration of Cultural Diversity" (referred to as "Declaration") mentioned that "Language is the most powerful tool for preserving and developing the tangible and intangible heritage of mankind. Various movements to promote the spread of mother tongue are not only It contributes to language diversification and multilingual education, and it can raise awareness of languages and cultural traditions around the world." Now, when New Zealanders promote New Zealand, their main focus is on Maori culture. Why don’t they treat the British Empire’s Something to promote?
At present, when many of us explain the concept of "mother tongue", they just say that other languages are "mother tongue". This explanation misled people's understanding of the "Manifesto". In fact, such a statement just deprived the people of the dialect area of their right to choose their mother tongue. As soon as children enter the kindergarten, they are deprived of the right to use their mother tongue, which leads to the rapid shrinkage and degradation of dialects. This is a human error.
What we are doing now is exactly the detour that others took 100 years ago. Many languages in the world are facing the crisis of disappearing. Isn't protecting dialects actually protecting the genes of the world's regional cultural diversity.
Reference
[1](N.d.). Retrieved December 20, 2021, from https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/statistics-and-research/2018-12/160301-welsh-language-use-in-wales-2013-15-en.pdf
[2]Contributors to Wikimedia projects. (2021a, November 14). Māori Australians. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C4%81ori_Australians
[3]History of the BBC in Wales. (n.d.). Cymru Wales. Retrieved December 20, 2021, from https://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/cymruwales/about/history/
[4]Maitland, T. A. (2015, June 2). Younger generation losing te reo Māori. The Waikato Independent. https://www.waikatoindependent.co.nz/2015/06/younger-generation-losing-te-reo-maori/23077/
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