Minority languages

Language minorities frequently encounter varying degrees of discrimination, including restricted or nonexistent access to the job market, healthcare, education, legal services, media, or internet in their native languages, as well as social and structural pressures to communicate in the dominant language. In the most extreme (albeit not uncommon) scenarios, it is simply not possible for the speakers of the language to use it outside intimate circles of family and friends.  

As SIL reminds us, “many of the world’s smaller language communities exist on the margins”. The protection of Indigenous languages, for instance, can be instrumental in ensuring environmental sustainability (and addressing many other pressing issues faced by these communities). As UNESCO points out, “Indigenous languages and related knowledge are intrinsically linked to the preservation of biological and cultural diversity, as they are conducive to a systemic approach to culture and nature. These knowledge systems, on par with scientific disciplines, are critical to sustainable development”.