GRE® essay: Many of the world's lesser-known languages are...

[Victoria Leong]

"Many of the world's lesser-known languages are being lost as fewer and fewer people speak them. The governments of countries in which these languages are spoken should act to prevent such languages from becoming extinct."

The fact is that more and more the world’s lesser-known languages have a tendency to be endangered or even extinct, as the assertion of speaker. To some extent I adhere to support the suggestion of speaker about preserving these unique languages by the action of government. However, the speaker seems to ignore the function its people play in the dimension of language protection. Moreover, it is problem that how we can reduce the negative effects, together with these series of protection action.

First and foremost, there are major three types of reasons cause some language to extinct. To some extent, in order to unify the whole country on the sense of people, the political authority is likely to put some policies into forbidding the use of their vernacular language in the public areas such as school, shopping mall and so on. Consequently, a lot of people living there will adopt another language that is assigned by that political authority. The extinction of Dongba script is a good example to prove my stating. After the 1949 Communist Revolution in China, the use of Dongba was discouraged and substituted by a Latin-based phonographic writing system. During the Cultural Revolution, thousands of manuscripts were destroyed, which paper and cloth writings were boiled into construction paste for building houses. Moreover, the people did not pay enough respect to their language that is another important reason which result some lesser-known language to annihilate. If the people love their mother tongue, when they faced such an unfair policies, they will bravely stand up and even against rather than silently confirm this unreasonable policy. In other words, the lesser-known language is facing on the brink of vanishing, which its people spark a boon for this trend.

The language can be deemed as one of effective tools to carried people’s identity. In case this distinctive language has disappeared, a lot of people will enter into identity crisis because they do not have any idea about their ancestor. Moreover, the origin of a language usually covers its unique mythology and then it will hand down from generation to generation, which provides scholars or author to rich the resource of inquiry. Without these unique vernaculars, it is disaster not only for scholars or authors, but also for its people. Dongba as I mentioned above that aptly illustrate this point. According to Dongba religious fables, the Dongba script was created by the founder of the Bon religious tradition of Tibet, Tonpa Shenrab, which offer a lot of novel’s background. From Chinese historical documents, it is clear that Dongba was used as early as the 7th century, during the early Tang Dynasty. By the Song Dynastry in 10th century, Dongba was widely used by the Naxi people. These history let us understand my ancestor how to live at that time, if I know Dongba script. However, some opponent has perceived that preserving these unique vernaculars is equal with setting cultural obstacles and increasing the cost of dealing, especially in the period of globalization. But they never consider preserving cultural identity help people of other culture to label its people and more easily understand the pattern of their behavior. Have these vernaculars owned their value, whenever they exist in any time.

Thirdly, it is not uncommon to know that government have duty to protect their unique vernacular which is effective solution. To value, protect and share the cultural assets of a nation is not only a world trend, but should also be a give in the age of knowledge economy. For instance, it is over half a century since the Japanese enacted their cultural Properties Preservation Law in the 1950ss. The law divides cultural assets into three categories: “tangible cultural properties,” “important cultural properties” and “national treasures.” This series of policy exert a huge positive result, which provide opportunity to us to appreciate Japanese distinctive culture.

To sum up, language is the rarest asset in that it carried people themselves identity. It is wrong to think that the obligation for preserve these unique mother tongues are only for its government. Its people also do not shift off this duty, even play a large function than the government.

[Kitosdad]

13"Many of the world's lesser-known languages are being lost as fewer and fewer people speak them. The governments of countries in which these languages are spoken should act to prevent such languages from becoming extinct."

The fact is that more and more the world’s lesser-known languages have a tendency to be endangered or even extinct, as the assertion of THE speaker. To some extent I adhere to support the suggestion of THE speaker about preserving these unique languages by the action of governmentS. However, the speaker seems to ignore the function its people play in the dimension of language protection. Moreover, it is A problem thatAS TO how we can reduce the negative effects, together with these series of protectIVE actionS.

First and foremost, there are THREE major three types of reasons WHICH ARE THE cause OF some languageS BECOMING extinct. To some extent, in order to unify the whole country on the sense of people, the political authority is likely to put some policies into forbidding the use of their vernacular language in the public areas(,) such as school, shopping mallS and so on. Consequently, a lot of people living there will adopt another language that is assigned by that political authority.

The extinction of Dongba script is a good example to prove my statEMENT. After the 1949 Communist Revolution in China, the use of Dongba was discouraged and substituted by a Latin-based phonographic writing system.
During the Cultural Revolution, thousands of manuscripts were destroyed, AND THE paper and cloth writings were boiled into construction paste for building houses. Moreover, the people did not pay enough respect to their language(.) That is another important reason which result IN some lesser-known languageS to BEING annihilateD. If the people love their mother tongue, when they ARE faced WITH such an unfair policies, they will bravely stand up and PROTEST(,) even against STRONG AUTHORITIES(,) rather than silently confOrm TO thESE unreasonable policIES. In other words, the lesser-known languageS is facing ARE on the brink of vanishing(.) which its people spark a boon for this trend.

The l Language can be deemed as one of THE MOST effective tools to carried CONFIRM people’s identity. In case this distinctive language has disappeared, a lot of people will enter into AN identity crisis because they do not have any idea about their ancestorS. Moreover, the origin of a language usually covers its unique mythology and then it will BE handed down from generation to generation, which provides scholars or authors A rich the resource of IN THEIR inquirIES. Without these unique vernaculars, it is A disaster not only for scholars or authors, but also for its people. Dongba as I mentioned above that aptly illustrateS this point. According to DongbaN religious fables, the Dongba script was created by the founder of the Bon religious tradition of Tibet, Tonpa Shenrab, which offer PROVIDESa lot of background IN MANY NOVELS. From Chinese historical documents, it is clear that Dongba was used as early as the 7th century, during the early Tang Dynasty. By the Song Dynastry in 10th century, Dongba was widely used by the Naxi people. These historIES let us understand HOW my ancestor USED to live at that time ONLY if I CAN READ Dongba script. However, some opponentS HAVE perceived that preserving these unique vernaculars is equal TO setting cultural obstacles and increasing the cost of dealing, especially in the period of globalization. But t They never consider preserving THEIR cultural identity TO help people of other cultureS to label its people and more easily understand the pattern of their behavior. Have these vernaculars EARNED their value, whenever they existED AT any time (?)

Thirdly, it is not uncommon to know that governmentS have A duty to protect their unique vernacular, which is AN effective solution. To value, protect and share the cultural assets of a nation is not only a world trend, but should also be a giveN in thIS age of knowledge economy. For instance, it is over half a century since the Japanese enacted their cultural Properties Preservation Law in the 1950ss. The law divides cultural assets into three categories: “tangible cultural properties,” “important cultural properties” and “national treasures.” This series of policIES exert a huge positive result, which provide opportunitIES to us to appreciate Japanese distinctive culture.

To sum up, language is the rarest asset in that it REVEALS peopleS themselves identity. It is wrong to think that the obligation for preserve these unique mother tongues are only for its government. Its people also do not SHRUG off this duty(.) THEY even play a largeR function than the government.
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A difficult topic Victoria which you covered pretty well.

Kitos. 8/10
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