In today’s rapidly evolving world, it comes as no surprise that some languages are spoken by the minority and even face extinction as a result. In this regard, people have various views, with some claiming that attempting to preserve them is an ineffective and wrong use of government budget and that global languages like English brings greater benefits. However, others stress the importance of preserving them to cultural diversity. Both sides of the argument have valid points; however, I share the latter.
Some would be right to consider preserving concerned languages to be a waste of public money. It is undeniable that global languages like English are gaining popularity all over the world. Their widespread use facilitates communication among people from all walks of life since language-related barriers in interactions would be an issue. On a global scale, this allows for mutual understanding between countries, preventing conflicts from arising. With this in mind, some regard the least spoken languages as unnecessary and argue that investing in their conservation- launching education programs in the form of training or subject at schools- is not justifiable. They might also assert that the money can instead be directed into areas like healthcare and education where the investment always proves beneficial. While letting certain languages fade away may not cause concerns in the short term, this fails to consider long-term implications.
Any language, no matter their importance and use, is associated with a long history. This means the disappearance of one leads to the loss of anything embedded in that language, let it be cultural heritage, diversity and identity. Once these aspects disappear, the country would be significantly less unique and exotic, losing its importance. If this were to happen on a large scale, the world would turn into one global village with a mainstream culture in the long run. Countries whose economy relies heavily on tourism would suffer as a result, as their cultural aspects may not be as appealing to attract large crowds from other countries. Consequently, many people might be left without a source of income, potentially giving birth to poverty. Therefore, the extinction of one language triggers a chain reaction of negative outcomes for individuals and the society as a whole.
In conclusion, despite some advantages of sharing common languages like English that come at the expense of minority ones, I am still convinced that language extinction sets off a negative turn of events.