Languages in Danger: How Can Linguistic Diversity Be Preserved and Promoted in Nepal?

Abstract

This paper focuses on the decline and death of indigenous languages with special reference to sampled languages used by indigenous communities in Kaski district, arguing that the indigenous language communities should be supported by the government for giving official status to their native languages, focused on formulation and implementation of education policies, and encouraged to insist on speaking their native languages. Together, the indigenous language communities need to collaborate with the government to curb all the issues related to preserving and promoting linguistic diversity in Nepal. Based on the findings and discussion of the study, the following recommendations have been made to preserve and promote linguistic diversity in Nepal: 1) The findings of the study concluded that documentation is one of the most important ways to preserve and promote indigenous languages; 2) The findings of this study concluded that both formal and informal languages classes can be effective to cover all types of age group indigenous language speakers; 3) It is recommended that language teachers should be provided with appropriate trainings to be good indigenous language teachers; 4) It is recommended that indigenous language groups should put pressure on the government for policy development and political advocacy for the preservation of indigenous languages; 5) The study suggested that indigenous language groups should be given language awareness programs occasionally in order to motivate them to use their native languages and then to preserve the linguistic diversity in Nepal; and 6) The study suggested that indigenous language communities need to get help of language researchers to address the issues related to indigenous language revitalization strategies.

Indigenous Languages of Nepal: A Study of Prevention Barriers and Preservation Strategies

“…For instance, as for Piller and Takahashi (2011), this process of linguistic assimilation is connected with "social exclusion" (p. 375). Pun and Gurung (2020) also argue that this is an unfair treatment of the government, which is based solely on the use of language and is most severely felt by the indigenous language communities around the world including Nepal. This will result in the "irrecoverable loss of unique knowledge that is based on specific cultural and historical experience" and the speech communities suffer from the loss of languages as "a crucial setback of ethnic and cultural identity" (Brenzinger, 2008, p. ix).…”