Dear Editor,
“Languages connect us and break down barriers when we unite to nurture the best in us and help each other succeed.”- Widad Akreyi.
No one should be made to feel lesser than because they speak their Mother Language. Globally, 40 per cent of the population does not have access to an education in a language they speak or understand. Nevertheless, progress is being made in multilingual education with a growing understanding of its importance, particularly in early schooling, and more commitment to its development in public life.
Languages are essential to education and sustainable development, serving as the primary means through which knowledge is transferred and cultures are preserved. With approximately 8,324 languages in the world today, many are at risk of disappearing due to globalization and societal changes. When languages fade, so does the world’s rich tapestry of cultural diversity. Additionally, opportunities, traditions, memory, unique modes of thinking, expression and valuable resources are also lost. Much more needs to be done to ensure that education systems support the right to learn in one’s mother tongue.
Undoubtedly, this is crucial for improving learning outcomes, as students who are taught in a language they fully understand show better comprehension, engagement, and critical thinking skills. Multilingual education, particularly for minority and indigenous languages, not only helps learners but also fosters a deeper connection between education and culture, contributing to more inclusive and equitable societies. International Mother Language Day is observed annually on February 21st. The day is set aside to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.
Indigenous Women and Language Discrimination
Regardless of the society, there is always a strand of patriarchy which supports male privileging. As cultural vanguards and family leaders, women are responsible for passing down traditions, songs and oral histories. However, persistent gender inequality and systemic exclusion from decision-making processes obstruct their contributions to safeguarding linguistic heritage. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), language is inherently tied to cultural practices.
Indigenous women are central to preserving and passing on languages, and often serve as the first teachers of their community. Yet, discrimination, migration, globalization and assimilation pressures make maintaining linguistic traditions challenging. Unquestionably, indigenous languages, which are vital carriers of heritage, identity and worldview, face extinction. The structural inequalities faced by women globally need to be interrogated in order to arrive at meaningful solutions to incorporate the transformative potential of women in preserving endangered languages.
Caribbean and Indigenous Languages
Globally, education systems oftentimes take a discriminatory approach regarding the instructional offerings to students. Native languages are viewed as unintelligible and shunned in public spaces. This myopic view stifles the creativity and linguistic expression of many students as it serves as a barrier to communication. The distinction of who speaks what language is frequently used as a means of social stratification. Unfortunately, this has become normalized in many if not all societies. This division also runs counter to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In Jamaica, patois is seen as the language of the black masses. Yet, despite rigorous scholastic discourse the education system has not embraced this native tongue.
The Languages that are historically native within the Caribbean or in South America and Central America and migrated with Amerindians / Mesoamericans into the Caribbean region include: Taino (Arawak, Lucayan (Arawak), Borequino (Arawak), Carib. These languages are essentially extinct within the Caribbean region. Some forms of Arawak languages of the Maipuran subgroup are still spoken by inland Amerindian tribes within the nations of Colombia Venezuela, with a form of Arawak still spoken in Suriname and a Creole Arawak language known as Garífuna still spoken extensively by Afro-Indians (Garinagu) in Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala.
The Garinagu are the only surviving speakers of an indigenous language spoken in any Caribbean island before the coming of the Europeans. They are, however, of visibly African descent and they live mainly on mainland Central America. As a group, the Garinagu represent several linguistic and cultural layers of Caribbean history.
The language they speak, GarÃfuna, is an Arawakan language. Its closest relative is Arawak (Lokono) spoken in Guyana and Suriname. Important items of its vocabulary, however, come from Carib (Karinya), also spoken in Guyana and Suriname but belonging to the Cariban language family.
This Karinya influence comes as a result of interaction between original speakers of an Arawakan language living in the Lesser Antilles and incoming Karina from South America. Frequently referred to as ‘Black Caribs’, the modern day Garinagu originates in the island of St. Vincent. The original Garinagu were the offspring of Africans who escaped slavery and of indigenous peoples of the Lesser Antilles with whom they intermarried.
They constituted an independent community on the island of St. Vincent (Yurumein) throughout the 18th century. Having been defeated in an uprising against the British in 1796 to 1797, the bulk of the Garinagu community were sent to Central America where they now live in the countries of Honduras, Guatemala, Belize and Nicaragua.
They preserved the original language they spoke in St. Vincent, a country they continue to regard as their spiritual home. Without a doubt, Caribbean governments need to invest more in preserving their native and indigenous languages.
On this the International Mother Language Day the global community is being reminded that language is both an agent of change and transformative tool for sustainable development and inclusivity.
In the words of Nelson Mandela, if you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.
Yours truly,
Wayne Campbell
