The Language Decline

In class on Tuesday we discussed the indicators of globalism, listing such things as Translated documents, expansion in different cuisine and food cultures, clothes, architecture, international tourists arrivals, internet users, migration, and the number of musical instruments sold and bought between countries (musical fusion). Another topic we discussed as an indicator of globalism was language, and the ever growing threat to the decline in the number of languages spoken in the world today. For me this was an interesting topic, and I thought it went along with human rights. In a Spanish course I took last semester we read many articles on the concern of the rising popularity and use of Spanglish both in and outside the United States. In one of the articles it talked about how many of the indigenous languages in Latin and South America were becoming extinct due to the fact that schools in the major cities refused to teach or offer courses in any other language than Spanish. This is a big problem for indigenous peoples who want their children to attend school but have to second guess their decisions due to language barriers. To me, this is a human rights violation. While we in the US want everyone to learn English we also offer the opportunities for individuals to learn it while offering classes in different languages and translations in public spaces. I feel that we want to expand language comprehension instead of total conversion from one's native language to English only. Because of this problem in Latin America and South America, many children who live in the very rural or mountainous regions who speak indigenous languages aren't receiving an education and are therefore incapable of moving to or working in the cities in higher paying jobs. The schools in these countries can require that students learn traditional Spanish, but I think they should respect indigenous languages and cultures and offer classes taught in these languages and have teachers who speak both languages in order to help new children in the school systems. What are your thoughts? How can these countries help preserve indigenous languages within their schools and cities while at the same time promoting traditional Spanish comprehension and language skills?

Thinking about indicators of globalism, I think we could add Dance to our list. As shown through various television programs, and even on campus, many more different types of dance are becoming popular among American audiences. For example, this week on the television show "So You Think You Can Dance", Indian, Russian, and Latin dance routines were showcased alongside "the Foxtrot" and "the quickstep". If you watch Bollywood films it is also apparent that American dance styles (particularly pop dancing) have become fused with Indian dance styles. Can you think of any others we didn't think of in class?

- Natalie Cummings