Language as a fundamental human right

A report by the United Nations estimated that half of the world’s 6,000-plus languages will likely die out by the end of the century without urgent efforts to protect minority communities and their languages. Historical factors such as colonialism have had a huge global impact on languages, resulting in the marginalization of and a rapid decline in the use of indigenous and minority languages, which were often seen as backwards, a barrier to colonial hegemony, or as slowing national development.

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Loss of language is a great concern given that language central element and expression of identity and of key importance in the preservation of group identity. A Kenyan author explains the consequences of losing local/indigenous languages in his book ‘Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of African Language’. Ngugi Wa Thiong'o explains how language can be used as a tool of oppression and exclusion. In this book, he describes how socio-political and control is not complete without cultural control - and language is an important element of culture. Therefore, to deny a group or community’s language is to deny their culture and identity. Language is particularly important to linguistic minority communities seeking to maintain their distinct group and cultural identity.

 

The rights of persons belonging to linguistic minorities have been increasingly acknowledged in international human rights law as both individual and collective human rights. There are a number of legal frameworks developed by the UN and UNESCO Declarations and Conventions Relevant to Linguistic Rights.