Languages
These days, there is a tendency that a small number of languages have gained widespread popularity in the world, while many others are being less spoken. In my opinion, this trend could bring both positive and negative consequences.
To begin with, there are substantial benefits to society when many countries share common languages. The first benefit is that cross-cultural communication can become easier nowadays, which helps boost multilateral trade and cultural exchange. It is true that ones who are bilingual or multilingual find it easier to do business or work in international companies as their issues at work can be addressed and discussed thoroughly. Furthermore, by acquiring languages which are commonly used in business, science and technology, people from less developed countries can accelerate the process of learning from more developed countries. For example, India achieves such incredible growth partly by using English as their official language.
Despite the great convenience of sharing common languages, the fact that other languages are less spoken can bring several drawbacks. The first disadvantage is that communities would lose parts of their cultural traditions such as songs, myths and poetry which are not easily translated into another language. This may in turn affect their cultural identity, producing a weakened social cohesion as their values and traditions are replaced with new ones. Moreover, this trend affects not only the local culture within one nation but also the civilization of mankind. If all countries no longer use their own language but use the same one, this could gradually destroy the cultural
diversity of the world.
In conclusion, although I believe the trend is inevitable in the era of globalisation, people need to have measures to protect their less spoken languages as a way to preserve their cultural identity.
It is true that some minority languages may disappear in the near future. Although it can be argued that governments could save money by allowing this to happen, I believe that these languages should be protected and preserved.
There are several reasons why saving minority languages could be seen as a waste of money. Firstly, if a language is only spoken by a small number of people, expensive education programmes will be needed to make sure that more people learn it, and the state will have to pay for facilities, teachers and marketing. This money might be better spent on other public services. Secondly, it would be much cheaper and more efficient for countries to have just one language. Governments could cut all kinds of costs related to communicating with each minority group.
Despite the above arguments, I believe that governments should try to preserve languages that are less widely spoken. A language is much more than simply a means of communication; it has a vital connection with the cultural identity of the people who speak it. If a language disappears, a whole way of life will disappear with it, and we will lose the rich cultural diversity that makes societies more interesting. By spending money to protect minority languages, governments can also preserve traditions, customs and behaviours that are part of a country’s history.
In conclusion, it may save money in the short term if we allow minority languages to disappear, but in the long term this would have an extremely negative impact on our cultural heritage.