BY INDY MAEALASIA

DESPITE the pressing need to preserve local biodiversity, the Solomon Islands should also strive to preserve its rich linguistic diversity, according to the SIL Global Executive Director Dr Michel Kenmogne.

Dr Kenmogne who was in the country recently said preserving linguistic diversity is vital in the age of globalization.

According to the recent 28th edition of Ethnologue, the World’s only credible and comprehensive database for world languages, Solomon Islands has 70 living indigenous languages and 2 indigenous languages that are now extinct.

Commemorating the International Mother Language Day last week at the Solomon Islands National University (SINU), the executive director reflected on the theme “boldly taking our languages into the future”

“When we talk of taking our languages into the future, we are not only taking them into the future. We are taking ourselves into the future into a world in which the dominant languages continue to oppress the minority languages,” he said.

He stressed that the theme is significant for anyone who uses a vernacular language “because it is about our identity, it is about our place, our voice, and our role in the world.”

In 2021, the United Nations recognized the alarming loss of global language diversity and declared the International Decade of Indigenous Languages.

Dr. Kenmogne echoed this call, stressing the political significance of the issue.

“We must do everything we can to raise awareness about the political loss of indigenous languages and the urgent need to preserve, revitalize, and promote them,” he said. “This is why we are here today – to extend that call, “he said.

Dr. Kenmogne further emphasized the connection between language preservation and cultural identity.

“We want to see these languages preserved, revitalized, and promoted, ensuring that the identities of all the people who speak them are protected,” he added.

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