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Sheridy Leslie
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Multilingual education & cultural minorities
January 28, 2009 - 10:28 PM
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Can a multilingual education prevent the erosion of cultural minority language groups such as those spoken by Indigenous peoples?
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Diego Casaes
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Re: Multilingual education & cultural minorities
January 31, 2009 - 09:45 AM
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Hello Sheridy!
Multilingual education might really be a good chance to make people preserve their cultural values in situations in which people are letting their inheritance go away.
For instance, here in Brazil there's always this debate in the north of the country in which indigenous communities have both Portuguese language and their native language classes. This is a tool to preserve indigenous culture, which is fading away even more in Brazil.
Also, the afro-Brazilian community in many different states, but specifically in the state of Bahia has many social programs to teach African languages in some universities.
Nevertheless, even 90% of Bahia population being of African origin it's not well accepted by the children the African History classes in public schools, for instance. Such thing happens because many of Bahia population are adept of the Christianism.
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Abby E.
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Re: Multilingual education & cultural minorities
February 1, 2009 - 01:56 PM
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I don't think multi-lingual education will erode the older languages. You can speak the dominant language outside but speak your own language with your family and friends.
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siddiqua
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Re: Multilingual education & cultural minorities
March 16, 2009 - 01:10 PM
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In countries where most people learn to speak more than two languages, there is a greater chance of native languages and cultures being preserved. I can't say I'm fluent in all the lnaguages I know, but in school we were taught three languages, and one among them was the native language. So even if you don't speak the native language you have a basic knowledge of it, and I suppose it helps in preserving to a great extent indigenous cultures. Anyway, languages evolve all the time. If you look at traditonally migrant communities where I live, its funny , they speak a mix of at least 5 languages, and now with modernisation, english words are also part of their "native" tongue. Languages borrow words from each other when communities meet/clash. Another instance is of this community here who originated from arab traders married to local women , a process going on for around 1000 yrs. They speak a dialect that is a mix of arabic,and local south indian languages like tulu, konkani and also marathi. Can't say for sure if there ever existed one single pure, unadulterated form of a people's culture.
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Andrea Arzaba
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Re: Multilingual education & cultural minorities
May 2, 2009 - 10:10 AM
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In my country, Mexico, it is sad to see that everyday we lose indigenous languages just because people don't speak them anymore...they don't need to.
I believe in multicultural education. I think that outside their school they are forced to speak the official language (in this case spanish...). With a bilingual/multicultural education, native languages are being promoted and not forgotten 
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Sheridy Leslie
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Re: Multilingual education & cultural minorities
May 2, 2009 - 12:31 PM
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Andrea, I totally agree. I am part Indigenous of the Caribbean/North America and I feel like a part of my heritage is lost because I do not know the language and many of the practices of my Indigenous ancestors.
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Yashoda
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Re: Multilingual education & cultural minorities
May 16, 2009 - 04:34 PM
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I dont think multi laguage will have any harm...instead its the synopsis of cultures...the researches also have shown that the person who is biligual or multiligual...he is comparatively a good thinker...I mean talented!!!!
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Sheridy Leslie
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Re: Multilingual education & cultural minorities
May 19, 2009 - 10:35 AM
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Multilingual speakers aren't necessarily smarter but they use more language] areas of the brain than unilingual speakers which makes them placid (or open) to learning new things.
I really need to learn more languages---because my brain needs a workout!
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Elan Grug Muse
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Re: Multilingual education & cultural minorities
June 23, 2009 - 11:19 AM
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Bilingual education is extremely important to the survival of minority languages. All my lessons in school are taught through the medium of both English(the dominant language)and Welsh (the minority language. The percentage of Welsh speakers in Wales has increased tremendously since making bilingual education compulsory.
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Raisa Bhuiyan
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Re: Multilingual education & cultural minorities
June 23, 2009 - 01:33 PM
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I'd have to side with Elan on this one.
Here in Canada, more specifically in Toronto, the public school board system is legally mandated to teach french. I'd have to say that if weren't for the mandate, then the children of immigrants like myself, would never have had the opportunity to even experience the french language.
Thus, I definitely agree wholeheartedly, that multilingualism is essential for the survival of minority languages.
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Sheridy Leslie
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Re: Multilingual education & cultural minorities
June 23, 2009 - 01:49 PM
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I am happy to see how this discussion has progressed so far. In response to the last two comments though, I think bilingual education can only effectively support minority language preservation when the community and/or society in which that education is being administered, also seriously supports the language.
I was born and I grew up in Canada where I began to learn French (through a non-immersion program) at the age of 4. However, the French language and culture was not effectively communicated outside of my 1 French course and thus language preservation also was not effectively achieved.
However French is not a minority language, in a global sense, so the real and present threat faced by true minority languages with only a small percentage of speakers in any given community needs to also have more visibility among dominant language spaces such as schools and the media.
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Stephen Ojeremen
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Re: Multilingual education & cultural minorities
June 30, 2009 - 09:14 AM
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abflabby wrote:
I don't think multi-lingual education will erode the older languages. You can speak the dominant language outside but speak your own language with your family and friends.
Hi Abby,what do you mean by dominant language?As far as I'm concerned,all language are equal.As all human being are equal before our creator.........Thanks!
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Sheridy Leslie
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Re: Multilingual education & cultural minorities
June 30, 2009 - 09:58 AM
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All languages may be equal in theory but they are not used equally. For instance very international agency in the world needs to have English as one of their working languages opposed to an Indigenous language from Guatemala, which as a result would encourage more people to learn and speak one language (versus another) among a larger population of people.
Just speaking a cultural language at home won't keep it alive over several generations. Most cultures are realizing that now.
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Elan Grug Muse
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Re: Multilingual education & cultural minorities
June 30, 2009 - 11:36 AM
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Laguages are definatly not treated equaly!! less than a century ago children in Wales where beaten and had to wear a wooden sign if they spoke Welsh in school, even though most of them could only speak Welsh.
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Sheridy Leslie
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Re: Multilingual education & cultural minorities
June 30, 2009 - 11:53 AM
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ElanGrug wrote:
Laguages are definatly not treated equaly!! less than a century ago children in Wales where beaten and had to wear a wooden sign if they spoke Welsh in school, even though most of them could only speak Welsh.
That's horrible but it is more than true for the majority of the world' languages, which have been lost (and/or threatened) by force assimilation practices whether they be through school, slavery, national and global governance (e.g. voting, proving citizenship, etc.) organized religion, academic merit, what have you.
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