10/10: Linguistic Rights, Human Rights

According to a report issued by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on minority issues, language rights, or linguistic rights, are "human rights that have an impact on the language preferences or use of state authorities, individuals and other entities". To honor Indigenous People's Day today, this week's newsletter will highlight this concept of linguistic rights, which over the past few decades has begun to gain much more traction. As large-scale data collection about and cataloging of existing languages has become possible, at the same time that the political and cultural climate has become relatively more sympathetic to indigenous people's voices and histories, the question of preserving and protecting indigenous languages has risen to more prominence.

Especially significant in this discussion is the difference between simply preserving a language - in written or recorded media, for example - and protecting and nurturing it for future speakers. The latter often looks like public education, services, and information offered in that language; it can also mean proliferation of the language on platforms like the Internet and in literary translation. The UN report cites many of the statistically observed benefits of protecting linguistic rights: for example, improving the educational performance of children who are taught in their first language, and bolstering trust between doctors and patients.

In 2019, the UN General Assembly also declared the International Decade of Indigenous Languages to begin this year, to focus on revitalization of indigenous languages. Research cited by their committees suggest that by 2100, at least half of the languages currently spoken are on track to either be extinct or in danger of complete loss. Projects under this declaration range from preserving and promoting multilingualism in the virtual world, to establishing legal protections for individuals to use their chosen languages in many situations.

With both history and the future in mind, today is a great day to consider how you can contribute to the protection of linguistic rights and preservation of languages for the future. Brown currently offers language courses in Nahuatl, the most widely spoken indigenous language in North America; thanks to the Internet, it's also now easier than ever to begin learning an indigenous language on your computer or phone. Beyond exploring an indigenous language yourself, it's also a time to put support behind the individuals and projects seeking to preserve linguistic diversity and uphold language rights.

For more about indigenous language rights, check out this poignant essay by linguistic rights activist, translator, and writer Yásnaya Elena Aguilar Gil, or for an effort taking place here in New England, read about the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation project.