Language Policy Decolonising the Mind

7/25/2019 Language Policy Decolonising the Mind

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Language policy: Decolonising the mind

Saacha Dorji, Teacher,Darla Middle Secondary School, Chukha

This article was published in the national newspaper,Kuensel.

May 29, 2016 Opinions1 Comment254 Views

A language will become domant and ultimately !anis" w"en it is no longe spo#en as t"e $ist opimay language% &t disappeas w"en its spea#es disappea o w"en a community o$ spea#es o$ one

language becomes bilingual in anot"e language, and gadually s"i$t to spea#ing anot"e language '

most o$ten, a dominant language used by a moe powe$ul people%

("e loss o$ language is not pimaily caused by e)tenal $oces suc" as militay, but it is caused byeducational sub*ugation and also intenal $oces, suc" as people+s negati!e attitude towads its own

language%

("e loss o$ language "as conseuences muc" wide t"an simply losing e)pessions% &t means losing

identity, cultue, "istoy and cucial #nowledge%

A dying language in Bhutan

Educational Subjugation

("e loss o$ language in many counties is to be blamed on education% ("e -nglis" language is

beginning to conue and contibute to a language s"i$t in ou county too% ("e education policy o$

."utan is t"at we must only spea# t"e -nglis" language in t"e classes and t"e sc"ools% .y and by, oumot"e tongue dialects li#e /"eng#"a, /utoep, "ac"op ae !ulneable as most c"ilden spea#

-nglis", and ou local languages ae esticted to "ome% ow local languages ae mostly used by

gandpaents and olde geneations and e!en i$ ou younge geneations spea# it, t"ey spea# t"elanguage patially and in$euently%

&n sc"ools, & emembe we wee punis"ed $o spea#ing ou own mot"e tongue% ("e sc"ools+ goal was

to assimilate c"ilden into t"e -nglis" language and cultue% e "ad to wea t"e tag labeled 3pea#

-nglis",+ $o spea#ing "ac"op o we wee made to cut gass o e!en beaten badly *ust $o spea#ingt"e nati!e language% And t"is tend is still t"ee in t"e sc"ools% .ut little "as it been e$omed as

language policy is being $amed and students ae made to use only -nglis" and ong#"a in t"e

sc"ools, and copoal punis"ment is not as common now li#e be$oe% -nglis" "as become t"e measueo$ intelligence% e "a!e been ewading any ac"ie!ement in spo#en o witten -nglis"% And we tend

to t"in# t"at all t"ings oiginating $om t"e est ae symbols o$ enlig"tenment and pogess, and all

t"ings associated wit" w"at we "a!e ae pimiti!e and in$eio%
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And w"en o i$ t"is continues $o moe geneations, it plays an acti!e ole in language deat"% &$

c"ilden ae not spea#ing it now, t"en c"ilden will pobably not spea# it in t"e ne)t 50 yeas%

Negative attitudes by parents and community

(oday, i$ c"ilden ae wit" t"ei paents, t"ey mig"t be punis"ed $o spea#ing t"ei nati!e language at"ome% aents today encouage t"ei c"ilden to spea# and lean t"e -nglis" language instead o$ t"ei

"eitage language% .abies ae taug"t ot"e wods and languages, not mot"e tongues% e ae

bombaded wit" Ameican, .itis" and 7indi s"ows, mo!ies and games, language and many youngpeople t"in# t"ey ae cool and anyt"ing ."utanese is not% e "a!e negati!e attitudes towads ou own

language t"at mig"t lead to languages becoming endangeed% Ou students and paents $eel as"amed

and outdated w"en t"ey spea# t"ei nati!e languages% e "a!e di$$eent !iews o$ w"ee we belong%

&+!e met many ."utanese people w"ose -nglis" and 7indi s#ills ae aguably bette t"an t"ei"ac"op o ong#"a%

What does language extinction mean or the rest o us!

"no#ledge

("e e)tinction o$ a language esults in t"e loss o$ uniue cultual #nowledge embodied in it $o

centuies, including "istoical, spiitual and ecological #nowledge t"at may be use$ul $o many%8anguage is t"e #nowledge!essel o$ tadition and "eitage% Many oal stoies in ."utan ae passed

down t"oug" its language, so w"en t"e language disappeas, it may ta#e wit" it impotant in$omation

about t"e ealy "istoy o$ t"e society%

$ulture

("e e)tinction o$ a language esults in t"e loss o$ cultue% gugi a ("iong+o says t"at language

caies aest"etics o$ a cultue: t"e entie body o$ !alues by w"ic" we come to pecei!e ousel!es and

ou place in t"e wold% gugu ;ecolonising t"e Mind< says t"at colonial powe didn+t use any

weapon to $ig"t and colonise A$ican counties% 8anguage was used as bot" an insidious tool $oimpeialism as well as a weapon o$ esistance $o colonised peoples% it" language, t"ey disupted t"e

entie $abic o$ t"e li!es o$ t"ei !ictims: in paticula t"ei cultue, ma#ing t"em as"amed o$ t"ei

names, "istoy, systems o$ belie$, languages, loe, at, dance, song, sculptue: e!en t"e colou o$ t"eis#in% ("at+s w"y gugi consides -nglis" in A$ica a =cultual bomb> t"at continues a pocess o$

wiping out pecolonial "istoies and identities%

%dentity

("e loss o$ language esults in people attempting to assimilate wit" ot"e communities, t"eeby losingone+s identity% 8anguage is a powe$ul symbol o$ identity% Muc" o$ t"e cultual, spiitual, and

intellectual li$e o$ a people is e)peienced t"oug" language% ("is anges $om payes, myt"s,

ceemonies, poety, oatoy, and tec"nical !ocabulay to e!eyday geetings, lea!eta#ings,

con!esational styles, "umou, ways o$ spea#ing to c"ilden, and tems $o "abits, be"a!ious, and


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emotions% "en a language is lost, all o$ t"is must be e$as"ioned in t"e new languagewit" di$$eent

wods, sounds, and gamma%

&emedies

'he education system

("e most impotant t"ing t"at can be done to #eep a language $om disappeaing is to c"ange

education policy% -ducation system s"ould suppot mot"etongue instuction o multilingual

education, and ceate $a!oable conditions $o its spea#es to spea# t"e language and teac" it to t"ei

c"ilden% e cannot teac" in ou language, but we can use local languages in teac"ing to up"old ounati!e language% C"ilden mustn+t lean t"at t"ei language and t"ei cultue ae wot"less, o$ no use in

t"e moden classoom o society li#e in ou education system% Ou languages s"ould be gi!en attention

in all education policies and it s"ould be dawn up by t"e go!enment% ?-CO also acts on many$onts to sa$eguad endangeed languages and pe!ent t"ei disappeaance% &t says, =&n education,

?-CO suppots policies pomoting multilingualism and especially mot"e tongue liteacy% &t

suppots t"e language component o$ indigenous education and aises awaeness o$ t"e impotance o$language pese!ation in education%>

%ncrease o prestige

ince t"e most cucial $acto is t"e attitude o$ t"e spea#es towad t"ei own language, it is essential to

ceate a social and political en!ionment t"at encouages multilingualism and espect $o minoity

languages so t"at spea#ing suc" a language is an asset at"e t"an a liability% pea#ing one+s languages"ould be a matte o$ pide at"e t"an $eeling detac"ed $om ot"es% C"ilden and paents must not

t"in# t"at t"ei mot"e tongues ae nonstandad languages, wong to spea#, in$eio, $o t"e

uneducated, and s"ould be abandoned%

$onclusion

("e loss o$ language "as geat impact on one+s identity, cultue and #nowledge% /nowing t"is, t"ee

ae many t"ings to be $omulated in education o students+ leaning as it is t"e main $acto o$ degading

local language% o t"at we can c"ange t"e mentality o$ ou own language and spea# wit" pide%

And I like this comment. Thank you jbradley. We are in the same boat.

1% jbradley

May @0, 2016 at 1210 pm

7ello aac"a o*i, all t"at you say is so tue% & wo# in Austalia wit" &ndigenous languages, &

"a!e seen in @5 yeas o$ teac"ing and eseac" t"ee languages die, o at least only "a!e one otwo !ey eldely spea#es% ("e esult is a yout" w"ose identity is not stong and t"us t"ey ae

open to many #inds o$ social ills suc" as dug and alco"ol addiction, antisocial be"a!ious and
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most e)temely suicide% 7a!ing ones own language espected and used also ceates a !ey

stong sense o$ well being% A peson w"o "as lost t"ei own languages is, as you say and

sc"olas suc" as Mignolo and gugi a colonised mind% 7a!ing !isited ."utan and sensed t"eseissues & wis" you all t"e best in t"is most impotant endea!ou%

Bo"n .adley, Monas" ?ni!esity, Melboune, Austalia

MIGNIEN

June 13, 2016 at 9:31 pm

ea aac"a would you gi!e me you mail because i am witing a long ansswe to you : and ,

$ollowing bad e)peience wit" t"e modeato w"o "as eased some o$ my comments wit"out my

opinion , alt"oug" i "ad espected t"e guidelines on t"e top , i $ea t"at "e censue my answe

so use my mail ?nde

*cmignienoange%$
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Language Policy Decolonising the Mind