An interactive dialogue “safeguarding mother tongues in an era of imperialist globalisation” was held here at Shakaparian under the aegis of Rural Development Policy Institute (RDPI) and Lok Virsa (National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage), Ministry of National Heritage and Integration. The objective behind organising the dialogue was to encourage the healthy cohesion among different languages and dialects and to suggest initiatives for the preservation and development of all languages and dialects of Pakistan especially in the context of new constitutional arrangements.
Ministry of National Heritage and Integration Federal Secretary Faridullah Khan was the chief guest on the occasion. The participants who took part in the dialogue were Lok Virsa Executive Director Khalid Javaid, Ahmed Saleem, Dr Khadim Hussain, Saeed Bhutta, Iqbal Hyder, Karim Johar, Dr Nadeem Omar, Dr Hummera Ishfaq and Mazhar Arif.
In his address, the secretary assured the participants of all possible assistance from his ministry for the revival and preservation of endangered languages.
In his address, the Lok Virsa executive director stressed upon the need for preservation of all indigenous languages spoken in the country. He particularly mentioned the languages of northern part of Pakistan including the Kalasha language spoken by a Kalash minority group living in Kafiristan.
“Lok Virsa encourages research in regional languages, folk literature, cultural history, arts, crafts and other aspects of folklore. The verbal legends and songs, folk romances and tales, children games and rhymes, beliefs and rituals, traditional festivals and celebrations, the sayings of sages and the ancient customs which express the true genius of the people of Pakistan are the subject of Lok Virsa’s mandate”, he added.
Languages, with their complex implications for identity, communication, social integration, education and development are of strategic importance for the people. Yet, due to imperialist globalisation, they are increasingly becoming endangered or disappearing altogether. When languages fade so does the world’s rich tapestry of cultural diversity as being alarmed by the Unesco, he added.
According to the Unesco, half of the 6,000 or so languages spoken in the world are endangered, and with them an irreplaceable dimension of our knowledge and understanding of human thought is also likely to diminish. The process whereby languages are disappearing is an unbridled one and not a new phenomenon. However, the past 30 years or so have seen a dramatic increase in disappearance of languages.
The causes of this phenomenon are multiple and complex. People tend to abandon their native tongues either because they belong to small groups immersed in different or unfriendly cultural and linguistic environments, or because they come into contact with an invasive or economically stronger culture.
Safeguarding and defending their indigenous language is a people’s fundamental right. In this context, the International Mother Language Day is celebrated on February 21 every year in order to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.