UN expert warns of decline in minority languages

Minority languages worldwide are disappearing fast and not enough is done to preserve them.

by Kanaga Raja

Minority languages are declining at a worrying rate in all regions, and that decline reflects a process of language loss which is almost irreversible, the United Nations Independent Expert on minority issues said.

In a report presented at the recent twenty-second session of the Human Rights Council, rights expert Ms Rita Izsak said that in some cases, the decline is due to factors such as globalisation and processes of assimilation and cultural dilution.

In many cases, however, "the disappearance of minority languages is a failure of protection of the rights of minority communities who wish to maintain their languages, as well as a tragedy for a nation's cultural and linguistic heritage and diversity."

"A lack of recognition and constitutional and legal protection of linguistic minority rights is often a contributing factor to the decline," she stressed. "In many instances, not enough has been done to support and promote a minority language and its users, and the provisions of the 1992 Declaration on Minorities have not been implemented in practice."

In presenting her report at the Council in March, Ms Izsak said: "For linguistic minorities, language is a central element and expression of their identity and of key importance in the preservation of group identity. Unfortunately, significant challenges are faced by minorities in all regions who speak minority languages and wish to maintain and use them in public and private life."She stressed that historical factors such as colonialism have had a huge global impact on languages, resulting in the marginalisation of and a rapid decline in the use of indigenous and minority languages which were often seen as backwards, a barrier to colonial hegemony, or as slowing national development.

Information

"It can also be argued that today globalisation, the growth of the Internet and web-based information is having a direct and detrimental impact on minority languages and linguistic diversity, as global communications and marketplaces require global understanding."

Ms Izsak noted that the decline in numbers of language speakers may be due to a combination of elements, including as a result of a decline in community numbers, relocation, resettlement, cultural dilution or environmental factors. "Some groups are vulnerable to factors beyond their control, such as policies of assimilation that promote dominant national or official languages, the impact of conflict, or forced displacement from their traditional lands. Some countries have aggressively promoted a single national language as a means of reinforcing sovereignty, national unity and territorial integrity."

In her report, Ms Izsak cited the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as identifying more than 6,000 languages spoken globally, most of which can be considered minority languages.

"For minorities, language is a central element and expression of their identity and of key importance in the preservation of group identity," she said, adding that language is often particularly important to non-dominant communities seeking to maintain their distinct group and cultural identity, sometimes under conditions of marginalisation, exclusion and discrimination.

"Historical factors such as colonialism have had a huge global impact on languages, resulting in the marginalisation of indigenous and minority languages and a rapid decline in their use," said the independent expert, observing that the introduction of colonial languages in Africa, Asia and the Americas initiated the marginalisation of native and minority languages. "Colonial languages were promoted in education, administration, political life and communications. Minority and indigenous languages were often seen as backwards, a barrier to colonial hegemony, or as slowing national development."

A common problem faced by minorities is that minority languages are frequently not used in national or local administration or as the language of instruction in schools.

Consequently, those belonging to minorities may face barriers to their full participation in public life and children from minorities may be disadvantaged in education from an early age.

Disaggregated

While accurate and detailed disaggregated data are scarce in most countries, evidence suggests that those belonging to linguistic minorities are at greater risk of experiencing poor socio-economic indicators relative to majority populations, poorer educational access and worse education outcomes, and consequently lower incomes and disproportionate levels of poverty.

The independent expert said that minorities benefit immensely from proficiency in the official State or national languages, which enables them to integrate fully into and contribute to all aspects of society and enjoy the opportunities available to all.

Without such proficiency, minorities face severe barriers to their full participation in cultural, economic, political and social life.

They may, for example, face barriers in gaining access to labour markets on the basis of their language skills or in establishing business enterprises. In terms of social life, minorities may be restricted in their interactions outside their own communities and consequently in their possibility to engage fully in the social and cultural life of the nation.

Minority language rights and language use have frequently been a source of tensions, both between and within States. Proponents of linguistic rights have sometimes been associated with secessionist movements or have been seen as a threat to the integrity or unity of a State.

Tensions

"Fulfilling the rights of minorities, including their language rights, is an essential means to prevent tensions from emerging and is a key element of good governance and conflict prevention," said the rights expert. "The minority rights principles of non-discrimination, equality, participation and consultation must be respected, including with respect to language, to ensure that the issues and views of minorities are taken into account and their needs are adequately addressed."

The rights of individuals freely to use, learn and transmit their languages in public and in private without discrimination are well established in international human rights law and are understood to have group or collective dimensions, Ms Izsak noted, citing in this respect the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the1992 Declaration on Minorities. In the regional context, protection of the rights of linguistic minorities via regional standards is well developed in Europe, she added, pointing to the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities as examples.

"Despite strong regional standards, implementation continues to be poor in many countries," she said.

"In other regional contexts, regional standards are weaker and monitoring of State compliance with human rights standards is less rigorous," she said, noting that more than 2,000 languages are spoken in Africa, yet there is no regional standard specifically devoted to language rights or minority languages.

-Third World Network Features.