20 Feb 2014

Batswana have been urged to protect and promote their native languages.

In an interview, regional arts and culture officer in Tsabong,  Malebogo Mosala said language was a method used to express oneself and that culture is embodied in language and hence the need for it to protected and promoted.

“It is through language that culture is transmitted from one generation to another. Children learn about their culture through language, they communicate with their elders and are able to get an all-round picture and knowledge of their culture through language. In a nutshell, language is a vehicle of cultural knowledge and education, “she said.

Mosala further said language was a product of society and it helps in the development of culture, and that it is through the interaction of the society and its physical environment that culture develops through the accumulation of knowledge, skills, beliefs, customs and traditions which all take place through communication which include language.

She further said language was the mirror of a society’s culture and it acted as a symbol of national unity and identity.

“Language acts as the mirror of a society’s culture as it is used to shape the behaviour of people of a certain culture and in the long run, contribute to cultural development of that particular society. Language also acts as a symbol of national identity, people of a nation can be identified by the language they speak. Through language one is able to quickly pick where one is coming from. Language also brings people together hence promoting unity and peace,” she said.

Mosala further said that language gives a sense of belonging in that it helps to bring people of a certain culture together hence instilling a sense of belonging amongst them. Even though language plays a pivotal role in the promotion and preservation of culture,Mosala has noted that globalisation, fashion and technology are some of the major challenges faced by language.

“Batswana, especially the youth experience tremendous pressure to embrace, adopt and preserve aesthetic cultural expressions such as language, while at the same time they have to contend with foreign culture transmitted through modern technology such as television and the internet.

The youth also want to belong and fit in at international level and as a result are easily influenced to copy the behaviour, cultures and languages of people of other cultures within the international arena. Fashion and the rapidly changing environment also influence them to copy other people’s languages, “she pointed out.

Mosala stressed that language development and protection is essential as it enhances national understanding, national unity and helps to effectively assist and facilitate participation in developmental issues. Mosala has advised that language should be moulded through interactions, communication and expression in order to promote and preserve it.

Mosala said that Setswana as the national language and symbol of unity should be used as a medium to communicate, translate and put forward the country’s socio-cultural values, future aspirations and development plans.

She further said that other Botswana languages which form part of the multilingual and multicultural diversity and are a rich source of cultural heritage should be harnessed and assisted to develop through research and documentation and other media such as the development of dictionaries, orthographies, textbooks and other mediums so that cultural knowledge is available for future generations through these languages.

Documentation of languages will also help to grab the attention of active youth especially school-going youth who have interest in reading to learn about their culture. Mosala advised the youth to be keen to learn and promote their native languages and desist from copying other people’s languages because language is a heritage and they should use it to their benefit.

She cited an example that artists can make a lot of money and a name for themselves just by singing songs in their own languages as language is an international phenomenon that even just the sound of it can entertain peoples who do not understand it.

She also advised parents to teach children their native languages and its values at an early stage of their development because that will make children value their language from early years when they are still young and they in turn will live to protect and promote it.Ends