Dialects are thought to exist whenever a group of people becomes culturally isolated. They share same customs and traditions and as a result their language evolves with them and becomes distinct from other languages in other regions.
With the ongoing globalization of the world and blurring of borders and distances, should we worry that dialects will become extinct? Are we heading towards a world with only 5/6 major languages?
The subcontinent has more than 1000 dialects…wat’s the state of those? From what I gather, it seems fewer and fewer ppl actually learn those dialects. Most ppl opt for Urdu or Hindi, because that is an advantage in the metropolitan society.
I personally would find it a loss if dialects disappeared. They give a cultural diversity and give ppl some sense of identification
i think standardization is good.. the more the world shrinks.. the more we'd need universal languages to be a part of it. nothing wrong in pronouncing words like the majority does.. otherwise.. be prepared to be isolated pretty soon..
I agree that it would be said to see different Dialects disappear, but given the rapid speed of globalization I think certian dialects and languages are becoming obsolete. At least people are opting to learn Urdu or Hindi...
In my example, I speak English and French fluently..and Urdu is a distant thrid for me because I can not read or write in the language.. My husband speaks English and Thai and again Urdu is a distant third... So, often I wonder about whether my children will be ever be able to learn urdu...because I think language is so important to the understanding of culture and values... I am not talkin gabout the basics of the culture or faith but the nuances of it and the detials.... So as the language dies in my family, so perhaps will the cultural aspects....quite a sad state of affairs..
So, sure globalization is forcing us into select defined languages, but is that a good enough reason for us to abandon our languages poetry, literature, songs...
I agree with PA, I don’t see why it is a bad thing, too many languages in one country is confusing, as a Pakistani I’ll stick to Urdu till we rejoin India then I’ll learn and switch to Hindi (I know it’ll never happen). :p
hmm…judging from the responses it seems as if you ppl see the two options as mutually exclusive. Can’t they co-exist? Have a common language (like Urdu or English) but still pay attention to dialects. At the moment I get the feeling the latter is being underlit
extrapolating this, it is interesting to see that a lot of religious persons from various religions actually want to implement the same dress, same thinking same language world…
indeed, but how to do this? I get the impression that in the ‘economic’ society such projects will only cost money, without anything material in return
