Council urging people to mind their language
2019 is being observed around the world as the International Year of the Indigenous Language.
There are many thousands of different indigenous cultures and collectively on this planet and the 200 plus countries herein, today we speak seven thousand different languages.
The top 100 of these are spoken by up to 90% of the world’s people, however, 2000 of the world’s languages have less than 1,000 native speakers each. Indeed, it has been estimated that 2,680 of the world’s languages are in danger today.
Quoting from the UNESCO website ‘‘ languages play a crucial role in the daily lives of people, not only as a tool for communication, education, social integration and development, but also as a repository for each person’s unique identity, cultural history, traditions and memory’.
In 2019 it is hoped that people’s awareness of languages will increase, ‘not only to benefit the people who speak these languages, but also for others to appreciate the important contribution they make to our world’s rich cultural diversity’.
The place of the Irish language in contributing to what makes us Irish cannot be understated yet many would say it is often under-appreciated.
2019 is also the International Year of the Salmon.
Salmon are at risk from environmental change and human development across the Northern Hemisphere and the aim of the International Year of the Salmon is to ‘inform and stimulate outreach and research that aspires to establish the conditions necessary to ensure the resilience of salmon and people throughout the Northern Hemisphere’ (www.fisheriesireland.ie).