English as an language has had an exponential growth as a result of Britain’s colonial conquests. Which has seen the rise to prominece of the English language and the subsequent dominance over the native languages around the world. As a result many native languages are been traded for English by thier own users, resulting in thier decline. The survival of these languages must be ensured.
Native languages though endangered must survive and thrive. The younger generation of native speakers should learn to embrace and appreciate thier mother tongue as it has a great significance to thier identity. For instance, it is through the native language of a culture that specific meanings and symbolisms can be conveyed whether in conversation or writing. Certain words, phrases and verses cannot be effectively translated into English, thus, losing it meaning overtime. Furthermore, vast amounts of information on mankind’s evolution and existence maybe lost forever. As language is a crucial factor in day to day life of a society, language evolves faster than humans evolve. Therefore, all the information and history of one’s culture and identity may be buried along with one’s native language in the passage of time.
On the other hand, the acceptance of English language does have its benefits. For instance, having the English language as a medium of instruction centralises and standardizes knowledge. This allows the exchange of information and methods of teaching to occur with ease, as language barriers do not exist, However, such a benefit does not justify the willfull destruction of one’s own native language. Therefore, steps must be taken to preserve one’s native language. For example, native language courses should be implemented from primary through secondary school. This will enable native speakers to gain the same or if not a similar amount of resources, to learn their native language, as they get for the English language. In addition, the incoporation of one’s native language into media is another powerful tool for the survival of local languages. The presence of tv programmes, cartoons, and educational shows in one’s own language, increases one’s exposure to it and one’s lexical capabilities.
Although English is vastly dominant as a language, for both its ease and popularity, one must preserve one’s native language. And significant efforts from both the individual and society must be made to preserve the gem of history, one’s own language.