Grade "A"
Essay
Student
Professor Jonathan Gourlay
Expository Writing II
May 8, 2003
English Language, the Preserver of Languages
A few years ago, I came across a book that was written by Gene Ashby.
It was a book of Micronesian legends. The stories in this book were collected
by some of his students. The legends of Micronesia were passed down from
generation to generation through storytelling. If I had never come across
this book, I would never have heard stories about Lodup, the giant who
lived in Mwoakilloa.
A language, like the story of Lodup, dies because it is rarely used. The
English language is not the culprit. It is true Micronesian languages
are dying, especially the Mwoakilloan language. English language is not
a “killer” language but a preserver of the Mwoakilloan language.
We should not point fingers and try to put the blame on someone else.
We need to realize and know that some languages die because we do not
think it is important enough to preserve them.
Language loss happens when people do not or cannot speak their indigenous
languages anymore. Language loss is influenced by several things: change
of cultural values, demographics, dialect and language diversity, mass
media, and the status of writing system (Shigemoto). According to Diamond,
we should care about what happens to our language because language is
part of a people’s culture. Language shifts and grammar shifts are
the first signs of language loss.
Language shifts can be recognized everywhere you go. People do not use
their first languages when referring to certain items because those items
were brought in by foreigners. A few examples of foreign things that have
become part of our lives are books, pencils, mugs, handbags, and tables.
These are the same words used in English, except with a slight difference
in spelling.
Grammar shifts can also be heard when kids talk. A person will not be
able to speak perfect grammar unless he or she has been taught to do it.
Even Americans use incorrect grammar. Just because one is born an American
does mean that he or she is going to speak perfect English.
Grammar shifts because of English intrusion. Professor Andreas presented
an example of a street sign. He said the message on the sign, “Dehr
nim sakau oh diraipih sidohsa.” has incorrect grammar. “Sakau
is very important in our culture. Sakau is considered as food,”
said Andreas. The correct way to write it down is, “Dehr kang sakau
oh diraipih sidohsa” (Andreas). I do not agree with Andreas. I believe
the sign was correct. The sign was referring to alcohol beverages, the
kinds that are imported from outside Pohnpei. Have you seen or even heard
of anyone who got arrested while under the influence of sakau en Pohnpei?
Never! I believe there is nothing wrong with the sign.
The English language has many advantages. The English language has its
own alphabet. It has a whole lot more words than the Mwoakilloan dictionary.
Also, the English language is a growing world language.
The Mwoakilloan language does not have an alphabet. Every thing was passed
down by way of speech. Stories were passed down through storytelling.
Because of this, every generation and every family has a different version
of every story. It becomes very hard to see any speck of truth in these
legends because nothing is written down. Because of the English alphabet,
we can write. Our thoughts and memories can be put on paper and read later
in ten or more years. Now that we have the use of the alphabet, we are
able to write down the stories that our grandparents passed down to us.
Through the English alphabet, we are able to preserve what we have left
of our culture.
The Mwoakilloan language does not have a lot of words. Many words are
repeated. In the Mwoakilloan dictionary, you can find words that can mean
three to five different things. We do not have a lot of feeling words;
therefore, we cannot express ourselves. On the other hand, the English
Webster’s Dictionary has 88,773 words. Using English, you can say
what you mean by using the specific word for that specific feeling.
The English language is a growing world language. According to The Rising
Nepal, a newspaper in Katmandu, “…the only link Nepal has
with the outside world is through the English language.” Mwoakilloa
is a very small island comparable in isolation to Nepal. We do not want
to be shunned from the world. We want to be aware of the world around
us.
Here are some of the ways a person can do to preserve his or her own language:
education, cultural activities, and the media.
Education of our indigenous language is important. Education at school
will be very helpful if we have the materials and the proficient teachers.
Because of the lack of materials, we should concentrate on education at
home. Parents should be encouraged to be consistent with their children.
The parents should make sure they speak to their children in their own
indigenous language at home. The parents should also make sure their children
are surrounded by people, who speak their own indigenous language
(Hinton).
Another way to influence the use of indigenous language is through cultural
activities. We should encourage our elders to teach the younger generation
the old Mwoakilloan chants that are almost extinct. Most of our younger
generation is not aware that Mwoakilloans do have chants. Cultural activities
help motivate people in preserving their indigenous language and such
activities enables people to practice their indigenous languages (Involuntary).
According to Professor Robert Andreas, media is a big threat to our language
because they use the English language. Using the English language through
the media is very helpful in getting things across. It is difficult to
get everyone to understand signs and posters if message is not written
in English. Pohnpei itself is comprised if six languages. We must use
a language that everyone understands. I strongly believe that other islanders
who do not understand Pohnpei should be aware of upcoming events.
If the Americans had not colonized the Micronesian islands, not a single
word or sentence from our language would have been preserved. Where does
one think the alphabets came from? Through the use of the English alphabets,
we are able to write down our dictionaries, our legends, our songs, our
chants, the history of our culture, and maybe even our own grammar book.
The English language is truly a preserver of the Mwoakilloan language,
and Pohnpeian, too.
Works Cited
Andreas Robert. Class Lecture . Expository Writing II . April 24, 2003
Cloud, David W. “English is a Growing World Language.” Way
of Life. Dec. 8, 1999
http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/englishis.htm (May 5, 2003)
Hinton, Leanne. “Involuntary Language Loss Among Immigrants: Asian-American
Linguistic Autobiographies.” ERIC Digest. December 1999.
http://www.cal.org/ericell/digest/involuntary.html (May 5, 2003)
Shigemoto, Joan. “Language Change and Language Planning and Policy.”
PREL
Briefing Paper. http://www.prel.hawaii.edu
Webster’s Revised Unabridged, 1913 edition. January 16, 2003.
http://www.onelook.com/?d=gen (May 5, 2003)
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