Preserve Mother Tongues

Samprada Bajracharya

Lingua franca refers to a common language between speakers whose mother tongues  are different. In Nepali,  it is also known as 'Samparka Bhasha'. In the context of Nepal, Nepali is spoken as the main lingua franca in most parts of the country. Going back to history, Nepali became the national language of Nepal after a royal proclamation by late king Mahendra referring to a slogan of 'One nation, One language'. 

Nepali language belongs to one of the biggest language family. Nepali is an Indo-Iranian (Indic) language. Sanskrit is known as the root  of Nepali language but  the Sanskrit language is now considered  a dead language.  We don't hear anybody communicating in Sanskrit. Religious texts  like Vedas and Tripitaka  which used to be written in native  Sanskrit and Pali respectively are now translated into Nepali. In the current period,  textbooks are only available in Nepali or English. 

Nepali language serves  as an official language in education, administration, media, publication and governmental offices. Article 7 of the constitution has recognised Nepali as the coutnry's official language. According to the first census of Nepal which was held in 1959, 44 mother tongues were recorded but 2011 census recoded 123 languages. Around 129 languages are spoken in Nepal. Among them, many  languages and dialects are on the verge of disappearing due to having only few speakers left. Nepali being  a lingua franca, indigenous languages like Rana Tharu, Dura, Kusunda, Yamphu and Tillung and many other languages like them are on the verge of extinction. 

"Younger generations are thought to appreciate Nepali language or other foreign languages but not their native language," says Jwala Yamphu, a local Rai community member. She also added, " Our language is used very less in home and community and school curricula also do not support native languages." Preserving an endangered language can be the most challenging task for the governments of the world. However, it is not impossible. In the  context of Nepal, the endangered languages here are going to be lost with changing social, economic and cultural situations. The minority languages should be supported by the government and influence them with more people. 

Managing textbooks of different languages, providing education referring to a particular language, awareness among people, teaching the younger generation their own particular mother tongue and effective educational facilities of different languages can be very helpful to preserve our languages. By being conscious, sensible and united, we can still preserve our languages despite Nepali being used as a lingua franca.

The guidance of the old generation and efforts towards the influence of the indigenous language among the younger generation can significantly  promote a particular mother tongue. The cultural value of a language can be highly promoted through oral traditions. 

Persistence of a mother tongue can provide immortality to indigenous cultures and aspects. Mother tongue provides  a cultural identity of a particular individual which makes him/her have their own indigenous cultural identity.

"Nepal may not have been colonised by other countries but it has been colonised by many other foreign languages," says Nugma Bista, a lecturer from St. Mary's School. Learning a new language or Nepali language is very important for a child but it is equally important for a child to learn his/her own mother tongue to preserve a particular native culture.