5-read.4- bc - extract - linguistic diversity - curse or blessing

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Citation

Skutnabb-Kangas, Tove 2000

'Extract : Linguistic diversity - curse or blessing ? '

In: Linguistic genocide in education, or worldwide diversity and human rights? / Tove

Skutnabb-Kangas. Mahwah, N.J. : L. Erlbaum Associates, 2000. Chapter 4, pp. 238-281

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256 CHAPTER 4

to remain vital. The existence of both linguistic and cultural diversity is alsoa necessary prerequisite for sustaining the knowledge basis needed for thediscourse of legitimating the suppor t for maintaining biodiversity.Darrell Posey, Director of the Oxford Centre for Environment, Ethicsand Society, writes about the roughly 250 million indigenous peoples of theworld (in press a-here quoted from the manuscript, 1997: 8; IWGIA's 1996

LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY-CURSE OR BLESSING? 257

figure is 'may approach 300 million'). Demographically they make up nomore than 4 percent of the world's population, but they have around 19%of the earth's surface under their control or management, and the majorityof the world's oral languages, 60 to 80% (between 4,000 and 5,000) arespoken by them. In addition, they are 'active stewards of some of the most

256 CHAPTER 4

to remain vital. The existence of both linguistic and cultural diversity is alsoa necessary prerequisite for sustaining the knowledge basis needed for thediscourse of legitimating the support for maintaining biodiversity.Darrell Posey, Director of the Oxford Centre for Environment, Ethicsand Society, writes about the roughly 250 million indigenous peoples of theworld (in press a-here quoted from the manuscript, 1997: 8; IWGIA's 1996

LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY-CURSE OR BLESSING? 257

figure is 'may approach 300 million'). Demographically they make up nomore than 4 percent of the world's population, but they have around 19%of the earth's surface under their control or management, and the majorityof the world's oral languages, 60 to 80% (between 4,000 and 5,000) arespoken by them. In addition, they are 'active stewards of some of the most


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210 CHAPTER 4

has been that parents are very seldom asked. In a recent Danish longitudinalstudy (Nielsen 1998) most of the parents of Turkish children stated that itwas more important for the children to study their mother tongue than toget still more Danish-as-a-second-Ianguage lessons. See also Inserts 4.19 and4.20.

Likewise, for most national minority parents MTM education is a normalmatter, when the group has enough power to have a system of MTM education. English-speaking parents in South Africa have until now chosenEnglish medium education for their children. 25 Swedish-speakers in Finland,French-speakers in Canada, many Welsh-speakers in Wales, and Frisianspeakers in Friesland place their children in MTM schools where this alternative exists, as naturally as linguistic majority parents place their childrenin schools with their own language.Presenting Bourdieu's work in an editorial introduction to Bourdieu(1992), John B.Thompson (1992: 16-17) describes agency in the following

way: (Continued)211

270 CHAPTER 4

has been that parents are very seldom asked. In a recent Danish longitudinalstudy (Nielsen 1998) most of the parents of Turkish children stated that itwas more important for the children to study their mother tongue than toget stilI more Danish-as-a-second-language lessons. See also Inserts 4.19 and4.20.

Likewise, for most national minority parents MTM education is a normalmatter, when the group has enough power to have a system of MTM education. English-speaking parents in South Africa have until now chosenEnglish medium education for their children.25 Swedish-speakers in Finland,French-speakers in Canada, many Welsh-speakers in Wales, and Frisianspeakers in Friesland place their children in MTM schools where this alternative exists, as naturally as linguistic majority parents place their childrenin schools with their own language.Presenting Bourdieu's work in an editorial introduction to Bourdieu(1992), John B.Thompson (1992: 16-17) describes agency in the following

way: (Continued)271


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276 CHAPTER 4

'virtually all leading politicians are monolingual', interview with AnthonyLiddicoat, Australian National University, Canberra, editor for the Australian Review of Applied Linguistics 1991 number on language policy, January1996; see also Fesl 1993). Even people who have some (positive) experiencethemselves about multilingualism may fail to draw the relevant conclusions(see Insert 4.26). I t has always been a mystery to me (and many of mynon-British, non-American colleagues all over the world) how it is possiblethat the greatest experts on how to make people still more multilingual withthe help of education (here = earning English as a second, third, or fourthlanguage) seem to come from countries which have notoriously failed toteach their majorities even the first elements of another language, let alonemake them high level multilingual with the help of education. Britain andthe USA have an abysmal record, as opposed to most of the countries whereBritish and American 'experts' are running around. In addition, a fair numberof these 'experts' have never tried or succeeded to do the trick themselves,

276 CHAPTER 4

'virtually all leading politicians are monolingual', interview with AnthonyLiddicoat, Australian National University, Canberra, editor for the Australian Review of Applied Linguistics 1991 number on language policy, January1996; see also Fesl 1993). Even people who have some (positive) experiencethemselves about multilingualism may fail to draw the relevant conclusions(see Insert 4.26). I t has always been a mystery to me (and many of mynon-British, non-American colleagues all over the world) how it is possiblethat the greatest experts on how to make people still more multilingual withthe help of education (here = learning English as a second, third, or fourthlanguage) seem to come from countries which have notoriously failed toteach their majorities even the first elements of another language, let alonemake them high level multilingual with the help of education. Britain andthe USA have an abysmal record, as opposed to most of the countries whereBritish and American 'experts' are running around. In addition, a fair numberof these 'experts' have never tried or succeeded to do the trick themselves,


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5-read.4- bc - extract - linguistic diversity - curse or blessing

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