Europe’s Regional Languages Risk Dying Out

But is it worth trying to save them?

The EU currently boasts 24 official languages, but this region is also home to numerous regional languages beyond the likes of our beloved Spanish, French and Italian. From Sicilian to Silesian, Gaelic to Galician, Venetian to Valencian— there’s more to the European language story we are often told...

Often pushed to the side-lines, some of these regional vernaculars — the hipster equivalents of languages, if you will — have even been threatened with extinction because, quite frankly, people aren’t speaking them as much.

So what can we do to ensure these less prominent languages live on? Should we bother at all?

A question of preserving heritage

Recent efforts within local communities across Europe mean that many are thriving again. They offer a fascinating window into the history of Europe’s language families, into historical communities whose pasts are woven into the narrative of Europe, and they act as a reminder that Europe is much more nuanced than the rigid national borders we see on our modern maps.

The mysterious Basque language that isn’t related to any other, and modern English’s closest relative (West Frisian) nestled in a remote part of the Netherlands — are just two examples of how languages still spoken today can offer some insight into our history and early movements during Europe’s feudal days.

Historically, languages such as English, Spanish and French took off due to a number of factors including medieval population movements, colonialism and the vagaries of chance. And so, as mainstream as they are today, they are the product of thousands of years of intermingling of different civilisations.

But every widely spoken language has less visible language siblings, which often reveal a lot about the language family evolution in general. For example, Corsican, Catalan and Galician reveal a lot about how Latin evolved into Italian, Spanish and Portuguese respectively. Similarly, the aforementioned West Frisian provides us with a missing link between Dutch and Old English. Welsh, Irish, Gaelic, Cornish and Breton are all reminders of the cultural link and shared history of Europe’s Celtic communities.

Nurturing smaller languages is often a matter of pride in our heritage and culture. There is a fine line to walk here, aspects of the Catalan and Basque independence movements show that such pride can quickly morph into something more complicated...

We must then learn to value our cultural and linguistic heritage without regarding it as superior to others. To do this, we have to be content and secure within our own cultures while also valuing others as equal, and celebrating diversity.

Flogging a dead horse?

I hate that analogy. But one argument against recent language revival efforts is that they are, quite simply, futile. Language has always changed. It took a great deal of linguistic evolution to go from humanity’s most primitive grunts to the level of linguistic diversity and complexity which we enjoy today.

So why get angry that your language is adopting more and more “Anglicisms,” or that new generations are naturally veering away from the regional languages of their forefathers, in favour of the national language which enables them to connect more with the wider world? Perhaps we are wasting any effort trying to halt the inevitable spool of linguistic evolution.

That being said, learning a second language is never a wasted effort. Even of your language of choice can’t be found on Duolinguo… After all, any writer or translator will tell you that a niche tends to have scarcity value where it lacks popular demand.

Some final thoughts

It is perhaps the threatening homogeneity of globalisation that has triggered a revival of local languages in the first place. Recently, we have seen local communities ignore the naysayers and make concerted efforts to save their language in places like Friesland (the Netherlands), Silesia (Poland) and Scotland. Local language speakers in these places fight to keep their languages in use within the education system, on road signs or in local media because they want to see their linguistic heritage live on.

All in all, our regional languages are important branches of Europe’s vast language tree. Each branch, and even the tiniest of twigs, adds to its overall span and complexity. And although many have risked snapping off, we continue to see cases where real effort is made by local communities to preserve them. Even the most fragile of languages can come back fighting. Whether or not we come from one of these communities, it is important that we all see the value in preserving these unique little pockets of European culture.

Roxanna is a half English-half Iranian content writer and communications consultant specialised in human rights, identities, and culture. With a French and Spanish degree from King’s College London, a Master’s degree in European Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a background in political PR, she strives to increase visibility and encourage debate around ethical and sociocultural issues around the world.

Website: http://roxannaazimy.com Twitter: @roxannayasmin