Globalisation puts ethnic languages, cultures at risk of extinction

Globalisation, free market economy and satellite culture have put the languages and cultures of indigenous people at the risk of extinction, speakers at a seminar said yesterday.

They also called on the conscious people to come forward to safeguard their culture and language from the clutches of 21st century's new international order.

The Society for Environment and Human Development (SEHD) organised the seminar on 'Adivasi Life, Language and Culture' at Cirdap auditorium in the city.

The speakers said all ethnic languages in the country are now facing three-pronged attacks from local dialects of the mainstream Bengali, global English and regional Hindi language.

They also said the future of the minor ethnic languages is more uncertain as most of these languages do not have own scripts or writing system.

"In the next 50 years, 50 percent of the literate people of the world will use English instead of their mother tongue," said educationist Rafiqul Islam, professor of Bangla department of Dhaka University.

Presenting his keynote paper, Reja Devasish Roy said, "The government should take effective measures, such as amendments to the constitution, to protect the multi-cultural heritage of the country as indigenous people are backward."

Prof Sakhawat Ali Khan, chairman of SEHD, called on the Bengali-speaking people to respect the indigenous cultures and languages.

According to the official figure, there are 27 ethnic communities living in the country, but an unofficial estimate put the figure at 58, said Prashanta Tripura in his keynote paper.