What is the value of preserving indigenous languages?

Before I discuss the importance and value of preserving indigenous languages let’s explore what they really are, Indigenous literally translates to aboriginal, native or autochthonous. Language as I referred to in my very first post, is a molding force; for I believe, it holds a power to shape and mold us and just like a vase that embraces a bouquet of flowers, language embraces the indigenous individuals; in view of the fact that it is what preserves and reveals to us intricacies embedded in their cultural and historical dimensions.

Preserving a language isn’t only inclusive of saving words that are structured in a conventional way but it is saving a tongue. Need I mention that languages, for all time, have been tied back to and are seeping into the cultural, social and even historical subjects? It truly is what we originate and evolved from, therefore to have the ability to be eloquent to a new form of language we need to preserve our original one to progress even further, and as sheik Zayed says “one who doesn't know his past will not understand the present, nor will he be able to prepare for the future" and to solve the next piece of the puzzle mustn’t we have all the pieces first?

However, in actual fact, a multitude of languages is being imperiled today, and amid this outpouring state of disappearing languages, the Tlingit (pronounced klink-it) and the Khoisan language are on the brink of extinction as they are under continual threat by countries with greater economic might, military muscle, and prestige. Since only a handful of individuals are conversing in these languages and David Harrison says, “The smaller the number of speakers, the harder it is to get an accurate headcount” it delineates a decline in our knowledge of cultural identities, scientific developments, aesthetic merit, historical values and events, medicinal knowledge and everything that it can possibly possess in virtue of its capacity to elicit benefits to the human race. All which may be documented, painted, calligraphed or even carved. The limitation of linguistic diversity can also reduce their cognitive thinking as individuals will be limited to critically directing their minds in only one language that even a native language will begin to degrade in the speaker’s mind.