Cultural and linguistic diversity is slowly but surely being wiped out by the influence of the western culture. The western influence continues to break the social fabric of many societies in the world. This is especially true for minority communities which speak minority languages and have no capacity to subdue this emerging trend. There is distribution of literary works in the global arena essentially transcending the country where they originate. Today readers have unlimited access to an array of literary works from all corners of the world in outstanding translations and a lively debate has come up regarding both political values , aesthetic value and the disadvantages of laying emphasis on processes around the globe over and above national traditions. It is said that come the next century, more than 50% of the world’s languages will not be spoken as a result of globalization and its inherent characteristics. This is because as children go to school, they are mostly taught in English and are expected to speak English throughout their lifetime because the language is seen as an epitome of excellence, thanks to globalization. Instead of teaching children how to grow up to be responsible people in future, adults and children sit together watching television. Some of the Hollywood games that they watch together are extremely violent and inculcate a culture of violence in young children. The organic outcome of this trend is a highly intolerant population.
There is population explosion thus putting pressure on the scare natural resources and little attention is being put on conserving flora and fauna. This has the potential of wiping out the rich biodiversity that people have enjoyed for far so many years. In the process, the long admired tourist attraction sites will cease to exist.
The writer is particularly averse to the wiping away of local languages either in entirety or in part. This is as a result of many factors that come into play. First and foremost, the writer observes that many children are so much used to speaking English which they are taught in schools and encouraged to speak at all time. They are informed early enough in life that speaking English is the only way that will make them relevant in their societies today and tomorrow. The author also attributes the fading away of local languages to consumerism which he indicates has transcended every corner of the world. As such, the expansive use of mobile phones in small communities has really increased where children as young as eight years old use smart phones. The author observes that the technology of smart phones does not support several native languages hence the decline in the use of local languages. The writer supports this argument by pointing out that for consumerism to take its toll in the world effectively, it requires only a few operating languages. This reduces the expenses incurred by the producer and the message is also effective. This author argues that is mostly propagated by the need for rapid economic growth mostly championed by the western nations at the expense of protecting the local minority languages.
The writer is disagrees with the concept of growth as propagated by the western countries and its allies. He observes that taking the direction of the western countries is a recipe for disaster in the future. The author sees a contradiction and lack of sincerity on the side of western countries to promote and propagate sustainable development in the world. The writer argues that while these countries pretend that they are interested in the well being of everybody else, they are just concerned with wealth creation and capitalism. He extols the need to focus on sustainable development where existing resources should be utilized considering the needs of the future generations so that minority languages can have a chance to prosper as well. He posits that internet is the best platform to support the minority languages and yet a greater percentage of internet content appears in only twelve languages and therefore negates the very tenets of supporting and promoting endangered languages.
Works Cited
T. P. Posnet, Globalization and its ramifications. London: M. Joel, Tranch, 1896
