Rishi Ram Paudyal

Language is a complex thing. It is hard to understand. Language is not only limited to letters, words and sentences. There are so many things hidden. Even if we may understand the meaning of words and sentences, the real meaning we may fail to fathom. Because we don't very well understand the language, we don't very well understand the people. We can't separate language and people from each other. If there are people, there is the presence of language, if not languages. Because there is so much confusion in language, a great deal of people take advantage of it, especially politicians, businessmen and lawyers.
Language may be fluid -- it may change its meaning over time or in different circumstances. Language can be affected by people's moods as well. There can be rows between husbands and wives when they make different choices of words, stress, pace, and intonation as they communicate with each other. Further, even a small word can be an apple of discord among politicians.
Language is a powerful thing. It can bring people close or push them toward divisions. People find it strange and even get irritated when they don't understand the language. That is why most Americans expect all the people migrated to America to speak English. Language becomes a person's identity. Language can be a symbol of solidarity which generates feelings of equality among the speakers of the same language. Language has very strong connections. People bond with language.
I recall an incident when I went to an electronic shopping mall in Thailand. In a shop, pointing to one electronic item, I asked in English how much it would cost and the female shop assistant responded 'Yesko dai?' I was amusingly surprised to hear her speak clear Nepali. She spoke Nepali just like I would speak. I instantly asked her if she was Nepali and she replied in affirmation. Then we had a chat for a while. There was a feeling of instant connection due to the same language we spoke.
Power and status also play very important roles in the promotion of a language. People are influenced by the language spoken by the people that have power and status and consciously or unconsciously they copy or try to copy the language. In other words, people in power have or get more opportunities to transmit information through different media, occasions and situations.
Like people have prestige, languages are also said to have prestige. In a nation, society or community, they may have high, medium or low prestige. If a language has high prestige, it is spoken and understood by many people. On the other hand, if a language has a low prestige, it is less in use in the practice of written and spoken communication.
Language is like a living thing. It needs to be preserved to stop it from declining and decaying. It needs to be nurtured and promoted. For this to happen, it is not only the speakers of certain language have to attempt; political support can also play a crucial role. If it is neglected, not respected, over time the number of speakers may remain to only one and it may die with the speaker of the language.