Albisteak
Will 2008 be of any use as International Year of Languages?
A few months ago in a conference in Barcelona on the declaration by the United Nations of the year 2008 as International Year of Languages, the famous British linguist David Crystal expressed his reasons for being sceptical about any positive changes that this celebration might bring.
It is a fact that even the document in which the UN announced its decision was extremely vague about the commitment of the very system of the United Nations to act. Alongside a series of invitations to world society to become aware of the importance of linguistic diversity and become actively involved in defending it, the UN simply manifested its will to foster the use of its six official languages in the activities connected with the institution. Something that does not set a good example, is devoid of anything epic, and deserved an ironic comment from Professor Crystal about the other commemoration for 2008, which has also been declared International Year of the Potato, most likely in honour of the contribution of this modest tuber towards improving world nutrition.
Joking apart, although the United Nations -and more specifically UNESCO - do not have significant budgetary allocations to promote language sustainability, one could expect them at least to be more diligent in consolidating international commitments that favour language diversity and which do not entail huge investments, just a real and effective political will. Here is an example.
Apart from recognising that 90% of the world’s languages could disappear during the 21st century, would it not be logical for UNESCO to urge member states to zealously apply the commitments of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions of 2005, and inform about the results achieved from time to time? Would not its policy be more logical if, after 12 years following the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights (Barcelona, 1996), it were to commit itself, once and for all, to giving official status to a legal instrument that would offer guarantees of survival to at least some of the threatened languages?
And on a more a general level, would it not be logical for the United Nations to highlight the demand to include respect for language and cultural diversity among its commitments to Corporate Social Responsibility that promote programmes like the Global Compact or the Global Reporting Initiative in the business sphere?
While State policies and business policies neglect the building of a fair, world language order, the declaration of International Years of Languages will continue to be a mere symbolic act, and for some even a cynical or hypocritical one.
If the year 2008 is of no use even to offer the guarantee of a future for languages like Basque or Catalan, which are among the least threatened on the planet, what use is it going to be for the thousands of languages in the process of becoming extinct?
Isidor Marí
Director of the Studies of Humanities of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya.
