What is the value of preserving indigenous languages?

A plethora of the world’s languages are teetering on the periphery of extinction. It is essential to acknowledge that we may lose more than just words if we allow them to encounter demise.

            The number of indigenous languages has dwindled since the European Colonisation. Australia shamefully holds the record for the most endangered languages worldwide. Upon the arrival of the Europeans in Australia, there were around 250 diverse aboriginal languages were spoken. Today, only 20 remain. This is an ignominy for Australia. Dogmatically, these languages hold heritage and identity. Just a dozen of the original 250 are still being taught to children. Thus, depriving them of their ancestry. Many of the aboriginals denoted that their language honed their sense of self and made them altruistic.

            It is argued that the loss of a language should be mourned for as if it were a species. Insinuating that the immense efforts contributed to protect biodiversity should match the amount of effort donated to preserving a language. As a language holds much more than lexis, it engulfs culture, science, knowledge and identity. Lets say a language dies. To non-native speakers of the language, it won’t affect their daily routine. However, consider the scientific innovation and knowledge that may have been within the language. This accumulated body of knowledge can no longer be obtained.

            Languages are ways of interpreting the world, and no two are the same. As such, they can provide insight into neurology, psychology and the linguistic capacities of our species. “Different languages provide distinct pathways of thought and frameworks for thinking and solving problems.” With specific regard to aboriginal languages, they are renowned for cultivating words to describe the natural world. For example, the language of Ngiyampaa, has a word to describe “a strip of bark dangling for a tree,” they call it a walu. Words like such prove that language conveys culture, as each language values distinct way of interpreting human behaviour and emotion.

            Finally, diversity of languages provides cultural diversity. There is not a single routine that can be mimicked by all humans. Environmental and physiological factors play a crucial role in dictating a way of life for each community. Thus, different interpretations offered by distinct languages may also play a role in the way whereby we chose to carry out life. And, lack of cultural diversity may be pernicious for several communities. This will then hinder human evolution. 

            As a result it has become increasingly important to ensure that all the values engrained within each language is preserved in order to allow our world to innovate towards its full potential.