Divided By Language

In the last two posts, I discussed bilingual education in America, pointing out that in my opinion, it reinforces the linguistic separation of immigrant communities from the mainstream by putting off the need to learn English, which serves as a key unifying factor for the disparate American population.

But the problem of populations divided by language isn't just an American one. In a very interesting article in yesterday's Washington Post, reporter Scott Wilson discussed a growing problem in the Middle East: the declining number of Israelis studying Arabic, and the similarly declining number of Arabs learning Hebrew. You can read the article online at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/31/AR2007033101104.html. In a place and at a time when so much hatred and political tension drives events, you would think that people on both sides would want to be able to speak each other's languages, if for no other reason than to better understand the enemy. Unfortunately, the declining interest in language on both sides only contributes to the growing divide between Israelis and Arabs.

Linguistic chauvinism (if I can coin such a term) appears in many places around the world. The French population of Quebec has gone to ridiculous lengths to force the use of French in that Canadian province, in some ways appearing to outdo even the notoriously linguistically snobbish European French. A major contributing factor to the image of the "Ugly American" is the insistence of many travelers that everyone speak English wherever they go. China's forced assimilation of Tibet has included an effort to replace the Tibetan language with Chinese. Turkey tries to limit the use of Kurdish in the provinces where many Kurds live. Many immigrants to the United States expect to be delivered education and services in their own languages. And so it goes.

I believe it is critically important for everyone to learn a second, and even a third language. I myself speak German and a smattering of Russian. The ability to converse with people of other cultures is essential to developing international understanding. It's only common courtesy that one tries to speak the local language when traveling in or resettling into a new land.

Walls of language are every bit as divisive as walls of concrete and barbed wire. If we are to reduce tensions in the world, if we are to promote understanding and mutual tolerance, we need to begin with more emphasis on language.

Ich wuensche Ihnen einen guten Tag. Noch mehr Gedanken werden Morgen folgen.

Bilbo