February 21, mother tongue language day.
In light of the thousands of languages that are on the road to extinction will be gone in a number of years thanks to the weight of the growing globalization of a select few widespread languages, a knowledge of the language aftermath and cultural global mutiny is essential.
Until now, social and cultural workers, as well as scholars of varying expertise, have summed up a dissapointing list of results on culturals and languages that have dissapeared forever. It’s important that we change our role from being the gravedigger to being the doctors without borders for the languages that are on the road to extinction. ERA’s initiative, which will be launched tomorrow, aims to become the first step on this long road,in an attempt to shake this passive and unavoidable attitude that has prevailed until now.
The campaign aims to reach a level of awareness, as much as can be expected on a widespread mass level, that 90% of today’s linguistic biodiversity will be extinct within this century, and that our campaign is looking for all the helpers and volunteers possible in order to spread the message via various means of communication: internet (http://www.linguainternazionale.it), the production of CDs and DVDs, and, we expect, radio and television programs. The main objective is to allow others to “adopt” a dying language, on a psychological level as well as giving a small economic contribution.
Otherwise, one or more institutions coul take on the partial or total responsibility to adopt a language, a choice based on explicit criteria, and could, according to the varying possibilities, contribute; thetre’s also the opportunity to send a volunteer (researcher, social worker or similar) in the country of the “adopted” language. Based on the contacts and the knowledge that we have of this very serious situation, the 6 languages that have been identified as the most endangered are: Bolivia, Department of Santa Cruz: Saraveca and Paiconeca, there are around 250, some still speak their language and many (more than 100 of these) retain their identity even after 3 centuries of living in forced co-existence with general regional indigenous identity conducted by Catholic missionaries.
In Brazil, in the State of Minas Gerais: Krenak, around 800 people, no longer speak their own language, and ask for a revival based on the studies of a Russian scholar that go back almost 200 years now. In Ecuador, Andaos, in the Pastaza province, about 120 people speak. For almost a century now they have been able to “conceal” their identity, adopting the customs of other cultures and people in the surroundings. Living on the frontier between Ecuador and Peru, there have been tensions between politicians, militants and people for almost a century. The recent peace treaties between the two countries have allowed both their respective identities to be recognised. In the Philippines, on the Pälawan island (Batak), around 400 people, a marginalized population that has been subjected to strong enviromental pressures.
In Equatorial Guinea, on the Abbon Island (Pagalu), almost 2500, who traditionally have an afro-portughese language and culture, have been kept in repressed and semi-liberal conditions from their goverment. In Mexico, in the state of Oaxaca, Chontales de la Costa, around 1200 people have abandoned their language almost entirely thanks to the pressure of the region and the widespread turism; they have only kept their riche cultural tradition alive.
Ethno-linguist Maurizio Gnerre is the scientific co-ordinator.
May 17, 2011
On http://www.linguainternazionale.it you can view the “Esperanto” Radical Association’s initiative.