The value of speaking an indigenous language

Hello, bonjour, hola, kuei, dear Verbling community,

I would like to express an opinion.

I was born into a bilingual family where the two languages I grew up speaking are spoken only by a minority in North America: French and Innu-aimun (Eastern Cree).

A language's merit isn't solely determined by its usefulness. All the work that is put in by linguists and those who defend their linguistic heritage is not in an effort to preserve a language because of how useful it may be to speak it.

Indeed, the people who work for the conservation of the Innu language know for a fact that the language they are protecting from disappearance is not the most attractive one to foreigners or even to locals. In other words, it doesn't sell, it doesn't shine. Why would someone learn a language spoken only by a few 12,000 people in some remote locations of Quebec? One would rather learn French or English and make their way around Canada without any problem. One could simply just learn Spanish and make him or herself understood while traveling all the way down to South America. But what about Nahuatl, which was once the ''official'' language of Mexico? What about Quechua, still spoken by millions of people throughout the Andean region of South America? Why not Inuktitut? Or Mapuche? Or Innu? Do they not have merit, even if they aren't "useful"?

This is not a scientific article nor a cry for pity. It's just a text written by some guy who questions why we learn certain languages and forget all about others. In fact, my point in writing this article is to encourage readers to open a Wikipedia page about a minority language that they don't know anything about and listen to people speak that language on Youtube (Check out Wikitongues for an excellent foray into minority languages). Then, maybe do a little research on the people who speak a minority language. Finally, maybe start to learn it.

Why do we teach Spanish, German, Italian and Russian in Canadian high schools and CEGEPS, while the languages that are spoken by our people, the indigenous people of this land, are almost ignored and forgotten by the population? Please, don't misunderstand me by thinking that I am saying that these European languages shouldn't be learnt. Of course they should! They are just as beautiful as the native American ones. I am only saying that the American people, all of them, from North to South, should see the merits in preserving such wonderful, historic languages as the ones first spoken on these lands.

Then, why should you learn Quechua when you go to Peru and Cree when you're going to Canada? Well, to open borders between people. It is, to me, a display of humility and respect to people who have long been put aside and shunned. Plus, it only creates a momentum in your surrounding that will maybe invite other people to do the same. It is what we call a virtuous circle, or the exact opposite of a vicious circle.
In this case, the two circles are as follow:





The main question I am asking you is: Do you learn a language only because it is useful? Could you learn it because you're aware of a human condition that somehow hurts your values? Do you sometimes learn a language because of the culture associated with that language, and because you want to get closer to it?

In conclusion, I wish you all the best in your language learning journey. If you are on Verbling, reading these wonderful articles made by extremely skilled people with a passion for sharing their language, it means that you have an interest in connecting yourself with other human beings. This is great. If ever, in your studies, you stumble across the possibility of incorporating into your life a vulnerable language, I invite you with all my heart to give it a shot.

At your service,

Tom
17 de Junho de 2016
Profile Picture
US$ 22
USD/h

Tommy-Charles Bernier

security_checked
5.0
US$ 22
USD/h
Flag
Francês
globe
Canadá
time
217
Fala:
Francês
Nativo
,
Português
C1
,
Inglês
C1
,
Espanhol
C1
,
Persa
B1
,
Quechua
A2
,
Russo
A2
,
Cree
A1
,
Vietnamita
A1
I am Tommy, at your service ! Here is my view on learning a language: In life, our lifestyles oblige us to have a certain quantity of responsibilities , and I believe none of us has entered this page wanting to add a burden on his or her shoulder. For this reason, I believe that learning a language has to stay FUN and NATURAL. There is no need for it to be otherwise ! Right ? Therefore, I will help you develop the HABIT of learning a language, rather than just learning it. In summary, here are the pillars of my teaching style: 1. Learning a language is fun. It has to stay this way. 2. Learning a new language never means starting all over again. You ALREADY have some knowledge of French, for instance, because there are many concepts in your first language that you are going to transfer to French. You know a great deal of it. My job is to make them obvious to you. 3. Teaching anything means you are working with HUMANS. Therefore, a teacher must invest himself to: listen carefu...
Flag
Francês
globe
Canadá
time
217
Fala:
Francês
Nativo
,
Português
C1
,
Inglês
C1
,
Espanhol
C1
,
Persa
B1
,
Quechua
A2
,
Russo
A2
,
Cree
A1
,
Vietnamita
A1
I am Tommy, at your service ! Here is my view on learning a language: In life, our lifestyles oblige us to have a certain quantity of responsibilities , and I believe none of us has entered this page wanting to add a burden on his or her shoulder. For this reason, I believe that learning a language has to stay FUN and NATURAL. There is no need for it to be otherwise ! Right ? Therefore, I will help you develop the HABIT of learning a language, rather than just learning it. In summary, here are the pillars of my teaching style: 1. Learning a language is fun. It has to stay this way. 2. Learning a new language never means starting all over again. You ALREADY have some knowledge of French, for instance, because there are many concepts in your first language that you are going to transfer to French. You know a great deal of it. My job is to make them obvious to you. 3. Teaching anything means you are working with HUMANS. Therefore, a teacher must invest himself to: listen carefu...
Mi vida antes del Covid- 19 (IMPERFECTO) A-2
Profile Picture
Alejandra Santiago
7 de Agosto de 2020
팔랑귀
Profile Picture
Abby H
7 de Agosto de 2020
The Origins of popular English Idioms
Profile Picture
Jen Mc Monagle
7 de Agosto de 2020