ESL Blogs

Language makes the core of a culture. So while other identities like religion and ethnicity can act like flesh and blood to the skeleton of culture which is language with its popular literature. While every language is like a river which propagates on them self, make their own way and expand in dialects and vocabulary on the course of development.  Like all rivers which are destined to meet an ocean/sea some day, languages serve the common goal (destined) of communication of ideas as their final purpose. 

Langues take centuries to develop to its fullest in script, literature, drama, stories and influence. Countless great writers and authors devote significant part of their life to enrich this medium of transferring ideas and thoughts. While languages originate at one place they do migrate when to other places as well. They inculcate words from far distant spoken other languages and in time these words foreign words become part and parcel of the majorly spoken indigenous language.

Languages often have a history of origin much like rivers. The people who speak them often find themselves nostalgic with those languages, their history merged with their geography. This is the reason it can be used to describe different civilizations and is often used as a symbol of nationalism in modern times. While the history of language thriving period becomes the history of nation’s evolution, the history of its depletion by other language becomes the history of turmoil and sometimes foreign influence.

Languages play an indispensable role in the evolution and growth of a society’s culture specifically and country’s identity by large. Since the treaty of Westphalia in 17 century, there is plethora of evidences where languages sometimes merged with sectarian lines reshaped boundaries of various nations and changed the demographics of various countries.

 This happened in England centuries ago where various dialects were abolished to promote English in consonance with the promotion of protestant churches. In retaliation French also eradicated other dialects and catholic churches got dominance there. So in some way they got a common religious sect, unique language and a common enemy. This model of promotion of national identity is seen in other parts of the world as well.

Language can act like a two sided sword if not used wisely. It got all the potential features to become bone of contention. History is testimony that plethora of nations came into existences on the basis of languages (much part of Europe). The countries which did not recognize its importance faced either bifurcation on the linguistic lines (Bangladesh) or faced internal tension (Sri Lanka). Its too necessary to accept the multilingual identity of a nation if there exist different communities with different languages.

While growth of mother tongue is a dream of every orator of that language but a development of link language is the need most often felt by intellectuals. Such a link language can fill the gap among the sons of different language. English is by far doing this work quite successfully and can be one in all practical sense in coming future.