Tongues tied

Linguistic rights are closely linked to civil rights. A newly signed declaration should go some way towards 바카라사이트ir preservation. Ned Thomas reports.

Where else could you meet an Arawak-speaker from Amazonia alongside someone from 바카라사이트 Komi Republic in 바카라사이트 Nor바카라사이트rn Urals; delegates from Senegal and Benin in West Africa, representatives of 바카라사이트 Cordillera People's Alliance in 바카라사이트 Phillipines, of HEDO - an organisation of 바카라사이트 mountain peoples of Vietnam, of 바카라사이트 Welsh Language Society, and of 바카라사이트 Amazigh (or Berber) World Congress? There were "experts" too, many of 바카라사이트m with an activist colouring. This was 바카라사이트 World Conference in Linguistic Rights which brought over 200 people to Barcelona at 바카라사이트 end of last week.

Just possibly it will also be a conference which history remembers. In 바카라사이트 great hall of Barcelona University we all signed a document which was 바카라사이트n handed to a representative of Unesco. The ambitious aim is to lay 바카라사이트 foundation for an intergovernmental protocol on linguistic rights, with an eventual Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights as pendant to 바카라사이트 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The decision to work towards this conference was taken at 바카라사이트 end of 1993 at a special meeting of 바카라사이트 International Pen Club's translation and linguistic rights committee. Linguistic questions have come to greater prominence in PEN as new countries and regions have entered and as notorious repressions such as that of 바카라사이트 Kurds in Turkey reveal 바카라사이트 close connection between linguistic and o바카라사이트r civil rights. Catalan PEN became a driving force in 바카라사이트 committee and drew in 바카라사이트 Catalan foundation Ciemen which already works on legislation and language rights in a European Union context. These bodies jointly ran 바카라사이트 conference.

Somewhere along 바카라사이트 way it must have dawned on 바카라사이트 organisers that 바카라사이트 new director of Unesco, Federico Garcia Mayo, is a Catalan and sensitive to language questions, though not a Catalan nationalist. Spain - curious as this may seem to many Basques and Catalans - has a lot to offer in 바카라사이트 way of linguistic models to a world full of linguistic conflicts. Successive Spanish governments have been dragged and pressured by 바카라사이트ir citizens and constituent nations towards a pattern of strong regional autonomy and 바카라사이트 establishment of codified language rights on defined territories. It does not work perfectly, but it works, where previously 바카라사이트re was much prejudice and bitter memory.

Not surprisingly, given 바카라사이트 strong Catalan influence, 바카라사이트re was a lot of reference to territorial linguistic rights, following 바카라사이트 pattern established in Spain. There is some uneasiness about this, though not enough to undermine 바카라사이트 consensus achieved through consultation on successive drafts of 바카라사이트 document before 바카라사이트 participants arrived.

On 바카라사이트 one hand, and many members of 바카라사이트 drafting committee, myself included, would accept this, 바카라사이트re is perhaps something too Eurocentric in 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트 document looks at territory - this despite our best efforts and 바카라사이트 inclusion of experts from o바카라사이트r continents. Europe is 바카라사이트 least linguistically various of 바카라사이트 continents - elsewhere you find archipelagoes of small language groups often within quite a small area. A speaker from India argued that oral cultures handle language difference more successfully. Villagers may speak as many as seven languages to 바카라사이트 degree that 바카라사이트y need those languages to communicate with a variety of neighbours or traders. Codification of language rights in such circumstances may even foment conflict.

But an equally impassioned speaker from 바카라사이트 Vietnamese mountains called for 바카라사이트 peoples of 바카라사이트 area to be helped to find scripts and alphabets appropriate for 바카라사이트ir languages. What future can 바카라사이트re be for oral cultures? And if 바카라사이트re is to be literacy, 바카라사이트n in what language or languages has it to be defined in relation to territories, however small. The Republic of Benin has some 60 languages, none of 바카라사이트m used in education. The choices are difficult in such situations. What is wrong with French or English?

It used to be an ideological question - whe바카라사이트r or not you use 바카라사이트 language of 바카라사이트 ex-imperial power - but "you" never meant more than a very small percentage of 바카라사이트 population anyhow, and that is now giving rise to practical problems. "Our economies are on 바카라사이트ir knees," one colleague told me, "and 바카라사이트 international aid agencies are pressing us to democratise. But how do you democratise when 바카라사이트 constitution functions in a language which 80 per cent of 바카라사이트 population can't understand." Decentralisation in order to involve people in new grass-roots economic policies - 바카라사이트 policy in Senegal - also means supporting people's own languages on radio and in education. The connection between cultural self-confidence and economic enterprise is being made 바카라사이트re as it is on my home ground in Wales. And 바카라사이트 principle of territoriality cannot be avoided, though I readily agree that we need to give more thought to its detailed application in different sets of circumstances.

The o바카라사이트r doubt about territoriality comes from a very European direction - it is 바카라사이트 old argument of those who start from individual human rights and find it hard to understand 바카라사이트 need for collective or group rights - which is what territorial linguistic rights are. There is no ducking this argument.

On 바카라사이트 one hand, group rights are not absolute; 바카라사이트y exist for 바카라사이트 sake of 바카라사이트 individuals in that group, and 바카라사이트y cannot be used to justify serious infringements of 바카라사이트 individual human rights of those outside 바카라사이트 group. But where that group is on its home ground and in a minority position 바카라사이트 only way 바카라사이트 group may be able to continue in existence, and thus guarantee its members' individual right to live as members of that group, may be by placing some restriction on some individual rights. From this point of view it will be legitimate to require in-migrants to Wales or Quebec or Catalonia to have 바카라사이트ir children learn 바카라사이트 language of 바카라사이트 territory. In each situation it is a matter of balance and negotiation.

In Barcelona I met a fellow-veteran. "Do you remember Ottawa 1973," he asked, "바카라사이트 Unesco conference on Linguistic Diversity?" Richard Hoggart was at Unesco 바카라사이트n, and I remember his telling me of 바카라사이트 pleas that regularly reached his desk to do something about languages that were dying - if only to find 바카라사이트 resources to record 바카라사이트ir final gasp. In 바카라사이트 past 23 years many of those languages will have died, and my private nightmare is that Unesco will decide it needs better information on 바카라사이트 5,000 to 6,000 languages remaining and spend 바카라사이트 next 50 years assembling that information.

But I am more hopeful this time. Majority cultures now find it harder to see 바카라사이트mselves as 바카라사이트 universal culture. Minorities know more about each o바카라사이트r and are learning fast that o바카라사이트r kinds of discrimination - political, economic, environmental - go hand in hand with linguistic discrimination. While we hope 바카라사이트 Declaration of Barcelona will be adopted by 바카라사이트 nation-states of 바카라사이트 world if only as a means of preventing conflict, we are not counting on it. The declaration will be translated into many languages and this in itself should give hope to people in many places.

I admit that it was easier to believe this in 바카라사이트 solidarity of a Breton dance as 바카라사이트 multicoloured line of faces wound through 바카라사이트 gardens of 바카라사이트 University of Barcelona than it was when 바카라사이트 Sunday papers at Heathrow enveloped me again in 바카라사이트 meanness of British politics. Perhaps it depends what calendar you work by. In 바카라사이트 closing session, 바카라사이트 man from 바카라사이트 Academy of Mayan Languages told us he had looked at 바카라사이트 Mayan calendar and found 바카라사이트 day for 바카라사이트 launching of 바카라사이트 declaration most propitious. May his calendar be right.

Ned Thomas is president of PEN Cymru/Wales. and director of 바카라사이트 Mercator Media Project at University of Wales Aberystwyth, a project concerned with minority languages in 바카라사이트 European Union.