Farooq Salam
11/17/2023
English
Lobell
Cover Letter
I’ve always wanted to be as fluent in both my mother tongues as I am in English, but it’s a difficult task to do especially when so much of my life is based around speaking English and how uncomfortable I feel speaking other languages in public. Listening to my peer’s narratives, I realized how many people immigrate to this country and lose their native languages in order to be fluent enough in English to qualify as “American”. This is what inspired me to choose my research topic on actively trying to stop the loss of languages and allowing more opportunities for students to practice other languages.
During my research on this topic I hope to learn more about the benefits of being multilingual and how modern-day societies, especially western countries, are the cause of so many languages going extinct. I also hope to learn more about how the average immigrant and especially their children feel about being “forced” to speak English more than their native languages. I think one of the most neglected aspects of modern issues is that we formulate opinions and thoughts on them before even trying to understand the perspective of the people who are most affected by it.
The primary audience I hope to target with my research paper are immigrants living in the United States and they’re children so that they may understand the importance of embracing their culture instead of pushing it as a background part of their identity. The more they sacrifice their languages and culture to become more “American” the further they get from preserving it and the closer they get to allowing their people’s history to go extinct. However, as a secondary audience I hope to target the “Americans” who put emphasis on a so-called “American” identity by either unintentionally or intentionally making it uncomfortable or difficult for immigrants to embrace their culture. Everyone says America is the land where anyone can feel welcome but is it?
Farooq Salam
11/17/2023
English
Lobell
Research Paper
Every 40 days one language ceases to be spoken forever. Languages are going extinct around us and a lot of the blame is on us. The world has globally put strict emphasis on learning one or two different languages in school causing native languages to be forgotten into the ruins of history. The descendants of immigrants that came to the United States are consistently forced upon focusing on English, which makes them sacrifice their fluency in their native tongues for fluency in English. Having a language that everyone can understand each other in can be very convenient but it shouldn’t come at the expense of losing thousands of years old languages. But more importantly, why should we care about languages going extinct? We should actively try to prevent the loss of language through methods such as more language classes in public schools and giving students the ability to choose which language they want to learn.
While there are many practical benefits of being multilingual there are also much more hidden cognitive benefits such as better problem solving skills, and other cognitive skills that require attentional skills. “Furthermore, six-month-old babies growing up in a bilingual environment are better than monolingual babies at rapidly forming internal memory representations of novel visual stimuli.” (Kroll and Dussias) In more simple words, the babies that were growing up with two languages being spoken to them showed better cognitive development as opposed to the babies that grew up with one language. The study also states that the bilingual babies were quicker to learn to fixate their gaze on the mouth of the speaker and for a longer time than the monolingual babies suggesting that bilingual babies learn two languages at the same speed as monolingual babies learn one. The benefits in the developments of the cognitive abilities of these babies indicates the importance of encouraging native speaking families to ensure that their children learn both languages at the same time. “Based on the research carried out at the York University in Toronto, Canada, it was discovered that bilingual children were faster at multitasking than monolingual kids. This study was conducted by Raluca Barac and Ellen Bialystok who tested a total of 104 children. In this study bilingual and monolingual children were supposed to press the keys of the computer as on the screen various images were displayed, the images were either of animals or of demonstration of various colors. When they were to choose only one, both monolingual and bilingual kids performed at the same pace. However, when the kids were told to switch between animals and colors, bilingual kids were much faster at making the changes than monolinguals. This research shows that kids who can communicate in two languages have a better mental process of executive functioning which involves the ability to pay attention, plan, organize, and strategize.” (Yulduz et al.) This discovery is absolutely critical because it highlights the differentiation in terms of cognitive abilities between children who speak multiple languages and who only speak one.
Languages are the first tool that we have in being able to understand different cultures and as more languages go extinct we lose more connection and knowledge of those cultures and the entire history associated with it. Many of the immigrant children are not as knowledgeable or a part of the culture as their parents are, which is only a further indication that many cultures will die off with their languages in their future generations. As more people begin to speak a language less and less, there becomes an increasing amount of speech barriers and other communication issues between people. Furthermore, losing a language does not necessarily mean that its speakers have died off, even the introduction of a new primary language can diminish the amount of its speakers. If people are focused on speaking a new language they begin to practice their original tongue less and it eventually becomes less fluent. For example, the native americans were forced to learn English so that they could fit in society and create the networks they needed to survive which led to the extinction of many native american languages. “Most languages, though, die out gradually as successive generations of speakers become bilingual and then begin to lose proficiency in their traditional languages. This often happens when speakers seek to learn a more-prestigious language in order to gain social and economic advantages or to avoid discrimination. The gradual disappearance of Coptic as a spoken language in Egypt following the rise of Arabic in the 7th century is one example of this type of transition.” (Tesch) The examples of the Egyptians and the Native Americans can even apply right now to the countries that were previously or currently under colonial rule where they were forced to learn the occupiers language causing their native languages to get neglected and eventually become rare or extinct. The immigrants that come to different countries sacrifice their native tongues and their childrens so that they can learn the language of that country. For example, the political cartoon below portrays the general reluctance the American public has to foreign culture and language. Though they probably do not discriminate against it, the general difference makes them overlook the benefits of what foreign languages bring, much like what the man in the yellow shirt is saying in the political cartoon. There is too much emphasis on immigrants learning to speak English but no emphasis on Americans to learn other languages.
A better way to understand the importance of preserving languages is to focus on the benefit it brings. One of these benefits is the economic advantages it brings to the individual and society as a whole. A simple yet incredibly powerful way multilingualism provides an economic advantage to an individual is that it improves the ability to compete in the job market by making you stand out. “Proficiency in languages like Spanish (32%), French (22%), and Italian (15%) brings a much higher wage premium compared to English (11%) or German (12%). So, in essence, being fluent in these languages isn’t just an asset; it’s a powerful tool for higher earnings.” (Koubova) This wage difference is because multilingualism is a skill that indicates strong adaptability, more cultural sensitivity, better relationship building skills and negotiation skills. These characteristics make an individual more valuable and most likely a worthy investment for employers. Another economic advantage that it brings is tourism. “When authenticity is compromised, cultural heritage tourism loses credibility. Moreover, when authenticity is compromised cultural heritage tourism loses what differentiates it from sanitized theme park adventures and recreate (rather than real) attractions.” (Hargrove) In other words, tourists are attracted to locations that hold a real sense of livelihood that makes the tourists see the roots of the culture, the history behind it and the lifestyle of the people that created it however long ago. A part of what brings that livelihood is the native language to that place because the language is unique and helps to understand the culture. Moreover, in that same article it states, “More than 95 percent of the visitors said that it was “somewhat” to “very important” to experience authentic elements on their trip; 38.9 percent of visitors polled ranked “experiencing authentic elements” as very important. To “experience the region’s historic character” ranked highest among the respondents (44 percent). Historic architecture, museums, and historic objects rated very high in authenticity (4.1 mean score out of possible 5), while souvenirs ranked very low (3).”(Hargrove)
In addition to the cognitive and economic advantages, saving languages is crucial for keeping societies connected and inclusive. Languages carry unique ways of expressing relationships and cultural norms, and losing them means losing the richness of social interactions. Moreover, languages often hold valuable knowledge about the environment and sustainable practices, especially in indigenous communities. Preserving languages is only the first step that we must take in preserving the wisdom that comes with them, which can then help us strengthen cultural diversity and even better environmental sustainability. “With the language all but gone, and the lifestyle radically changed, most indigenous knowledge about the habits of creatures in America’s northwestern coastal forests will have already vanished. Because knowledge transfer relies on oral transmission, its effectiveness is tied to language endangerment. In many (or perhaps most) cases where people shift to speaking a dominant language, they leave behind vast domains of knowledge, myth and song.” (Harrison, 93) In other words, saving our languages goes beyond just words; it’s about creating social harmony and protecting valuable insights that can benefit both people and the planet by helping us understand and learn from our past to create a better and stronger future.
In a world where a language disappears every 40 days, the preservation of language diversity becomes increasingly important. The global emphasis on learning a limited number of languages in schools and the societal pressures on immigrants to prioritize dominant languages such as English, has been contributing to the extinction of thousands of languages. The diminishing language diversity not only causes us to lose cultural histories but also poses a threat to cognitive development. The cognitive benefits of multilingualism are becoming increasingly evident and extend beyond just the practical advantages of better problem-solving skills and attentional capabilities. The relationship between language and culture is undeniable, and as languages vanish, so does our understanding of diverse cultures and their histories. Immigrant children are “forced” to prioritize dominant languages, and risk losing touch with their cultural heritage. The extinction of languages contributes to speech barriers and communication issues and can even prevent knowledge from passing down generations. There are clearly also economic benefits to preserving language diversity across the globe. We must take action to address the diminishing language diversity by increasing language classes in public schools while giving students the ability to choose which language they want to learn. But perhaps the best way to tackle it is to educate people of not just the harms that will be done from losing so many languages but rather focusing on what the average individual can gain from it.
Works Cited:
Kroll, Judith F., and Paola E. Dussias. “The Benefits of Multilingualism to the Personal and Professional Development of Residents of the US.” Foreign Language Annals, vol. 50, no. 2, 18 May 2017, pp. 248–259, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5662126/
“Authenticity in Cultural Heritage Tourism.” Www.sohosandiego.org,
Tesch, Noah. “Why Do Languages Die? | Britannica.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 2019, https://www.britannica.com/story/why-do-languages-die
Koubova, Hana. “The Advantage of Multilingualism in a Competitive Job Market.” Linguist
Today, 18 Oct. 2023,
linguisttoday.com/the-advantage-of-multilingualism-in-a-competitive-job-market/
Yulduz, Sayfullaeva, et al. “The Psychological and Cognitive Benefits of Multilingualism.” Annals of the Romanian Society for Cell Biology, 6 Mar. 2021, pp. 591–596, annalsofrscb.ro/index.php/journal/article/view/986/831.
Parker, Jeff. “Assimilation Is Great, but Shouldn’t Cost an Immigrant His or Her Native Language.” Desertsun.com, 2023, www.desertsun.com/gcdn/presto/2019/01/25/PPAS/4e3cb377-a9b5-44df-b7ce-cad64984d56b-TDS_Your_Turn_cartoon_012819.jpg?width=660&height=518&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp. Accessed 18 Nov. 2023.
Harrison, K. David. When Languages Die: The Extinction of the World’s Languages and the Erosion of Human Knowledge. Google Books, Oxford University Press, 1 Feb. 2007, books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=61RCDHSkxqgC&oi=fnd&pg=PR11&dq=languages+and+environemnt+such+as+hunting+practices+and+traditions&ots=IRb9XO8Cft&sig=uyATy7BE6h5ySeZiyHPe0DgR0zA#v=onepage&q=knowledge&f=false. Accessed 18 Nov. 2023.
