Topic 2: Protecting Languages

The rise of a more homogenized culture, fueled by Westerners, is driving global

language usage patterns to shift. Languages and variations within languages serve to unite and
diversify human society by conveying cultural ideas and beliefs. Language globalization can be
defined as a process in which some languages become more widely used in international
communication while others fade away or even disappear due to a lack of speakers. This loss of
linguistic diversity may have contributed to the extinction of age-old remedies that science has
yet to discover.

Indigenous languages are rich in information about the ecosystem services provided by
the natural world. According to the United Nations, more than 30% of the world's 7,400
languages are expected to vanish by the end of the century. Dr. Rodrigo Cámara-Leret, a
biologist at the University of Zurich, and his colleagues examined 12,000 medicinal plant
services associated with 230 indigenous languages in three regions with high linguistic and
biological diversity: North America, north-west Amazonia, and New Guinea. They discovered
that 73% of medicinal knowledge in North America was only found in one language; 91% in
north-west Amazonia; and 84% in New Guinea. The expected loss of linguistic diversity would
severely limit humanity's ability to discover new medicines, as European medicinal knowledge
may only be the tip of the iceberg. Corresponding knowledge includes the use of plant latex to
treat fungal infections, bark to treat digestive issues, fruits to treat respiratory ailments, and
natural stimulants and hallucinogens. Although many drugs are made from synthetic
compounds, plants may contain a large number of chemical components that could lead to the
discovery of new treatments.

Indigenous peoples, whose culture and livelihoods are threatened as barriers between
groups fall away, are preserving much of the world's linguistic diversity. Unlike societies where
knowledge is written down in books and computers, most indigenous languages pass on
knowledge orally. Government programs to promote language transmission, bilingual education,
and cultural heritage interest would aid communities in preserving their linguistic diversity.

With such a large influence, it's reasonable to believe that languages are shaped by their
environment. Biodiversity, on the other hand, is a priceless repository of intangible cultural
heritage, cross-cultural exchange, creativity, and innovation. Although these languages may
contain valuable medical knowledge unknown to Western science, it is not the most important
reason to preserve them; the medicinal aspect was just one of many reasons to promote
language conservation and diversity around the world. Languages aren't the only things on the
verge of extinction. The spread of consumerist values and materialist lifestyles has also put our
planet's ecological health in jeopardy. We must now turn our attention to this critical ecological
aspect of globalization.