National and International Cohesion and Integration: Role of Multilingualism (Essay Sample)

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National and International Cohesion and Integration: Role of Multilingualism
National and International Cohesion and Integration: Role of Multilingualism
Abstract
The world has become a melting pot of thousands of different cultures, each of which speaks a language that sets it apart from other cultures. In this pandemonium, is it possible to clearly enumerate the role that multilingualism has played in bringing about cohesion, integration and global peace? This paper seeks to do just that. This article will first, very lightly, address the different advantages associated with multilingualism. Next, myths about the dangers of multilingualism will be paraded. The article will elaborate how and why these myths cannot hold true in a world with so many examples to choose from. The article will then go ahead to enumerate the various roles that multilingualism can play or has played so as to bring about cohesion, integration and global peace.
Keywords: Multilingualism, cohesion, integration, global peace
National and International Cohesion and Integration: Role of Multilingualism
The ability to speak more than one language has several obvious advantages and a few not-so-obvious benefits. Multilingualism could provide a useful edge in job application and help secure employment, it could help people interact better and it could also prove useful during visits in foreign countries. Scientists even believe that multilingualism improves cognitive function and enables people switch between complicated tasks swiftly. Multilingualism could also plays a vital role in fostering cohesion and integration between cultures within and outside national borders.
The role of language as a vehicle for cultural expression is not in question. Each of the more than 7000 different languages in the world represents a different culture, and every culture is as unique as the language that it speaks. Changes in language may also reflect a changing culture, and could even indicate that a new culture is developing. Therefore, language and culture, though distinct entities, are inseparable.
In order to understand the role of multilingualism in fostering national cohesion, it is necessary to be aware that cultural differences often lead to cultural intolerance. Cultural intolerance is one of the most potent instigators of conflict and war. Many famous wars and genocides that mark human history resulted because of cultural intolerance. Could multilingualism be used to stem these wars or eliminate them altogether? Can multilingualism play a role in bringing about cultural tolerance, cohesion and integration?
Myths about Multilingualism
Most countries in Africa are multilingual. There has been a general perception that this has fueled ethnic hostilities and weakened national ties (Fardon & Furniss, 2002). Some scholars have even suggested that multilingualism heightens separatist sentiments. Therefore, the presence of several different languages in the African context has been viewed as a threat to national cohesion and wellbeing.
However, a closer look at the African situation reveals that language is not a cause for divisiveness in Africa. Some of the reasons why there is poor integration in Africa are that politicians and the elite who want to gain economic or political edge exploit ethnicity for this purpose. Power-sharing struggles revolving around access to national wealth and its control in many African struggles give rise to conflicts. The expression of dissatisfaction by those who are sidelined is often expressed in ethnic terms. Then, the national narrative gets to such a point where such and such a tribe feels aggrieved because another tribe is said to be in control of all the country’s wealth.
Role of multilingualism in Cohesion, National integration and Global Peace
Multilingualism is not a hindrance to the cohesion of a nation. On the contrary, it is a force of integration and cohesion. The citizen who speaks more than one language is more likely a better integrated than the citizen who is monolingual. There are several reasons for this.
Multilingualism is a powerful tool for cultural understanding (Tochon, 2009). Knowing the language spoken by a people can help understand their culture. The subtleties in a language can help to understand some cultural practices in a way that could never be otherwise understood. Multilinguals often have a mother-tongue and can also speak a language that is different from their mother tongue. By speaking that language, one becomes somewhat integrated into the culture from which the language comes. One may get a chance to participate in some practices that are associated with the culture, and hence gain a better, first-hand understanding of those cultural practices. Furthermore, learning a language is necessitated by interacting with the people who speak that language. Thus, if one knows a language that is not their mother-tongue, chances are that they interact very closely with the native speakers of that language. Such interaction inevitably earns one cross-cultural friends and enables them to share experiences. This promotes integration in a very strong way.
Knowing a foreign language enables one to gain a unique and unprejudiced understanding of its expressions. A lot of meaning is usually lost in translating a language to someone who does not understand it. Most proverbs, similes, metaphors, jokes and other aspects of figurative speech are best understood by people who speak the language. Knowing a language may help distinguish strong and mild language and this is extremely important in the interpretation of strongly emotive language. Misinterpretation of language has been implicated in several wars and clashes. Multilinguals have the advantage of interpreting messages, speeches and expressions in unbiased ways and are therefore in a position to tolerate remarks that might be mistaken to be aggressive when they are not.
Multilingualism is a reflection of the cultural richness of any given community. Multilingual communities are able to share perceptions and aspirations of different communities in a smoother and simpler way than separate monolingual communities. It is important to note, however, that many nations jeopardize multilingualism by promoting education policies that are anti-multilingualism (House, 2003). In other words, such nations promote the use of one single language at the detriment of several other existing choices, hence promoting the dominance of one single language and the culture that it comes from over other cultures in that community. The use of several different languages in an education system can foster national unity better than the use of one single language.
International integration requires a thorough understanding and acceptance of the principles of global citizenship. Global citizenship involves breaking down international barriers, calling to bear the forces and sentiments of humanity and humanitarianism and shunning individualism. A number of themes come to mind when thinking about global citizenship. These include identity and belonging, conflict resolution and peace, equity and equality, common rights and responsibility and sustainable living. As far as identity and belonging are concerned, identity has been characterized as having three main components including human nature, personality and culture (De Mooij, & Hofstede, 2010). By nature, human beings are born into communities, raised according to the norms and standards of those communities into which they were born, and acquire a sense of belonging to these communities. By this very practice, people acquire the stereotypes of their communities. Each community has systems and mechanisms in place to instill a sense of self-worth among its members, and each community therefore raises its members to believe they are superior to other communities in one way or another. This is one of the most common channels for conflict and disputes. Communities feel superior to other communities and feel entitled to respect and resources. They would, therefore, impose their cultural beliefs upon other communities.
Multilinguals have the advantage of interacting with more than one community at an intimate level. They therefore gain a unique understanding of the different cultures whose languages they know. In this way, they are able to dismiss misconceptions and appreciate exceptional aspects about different communities in a way that evens the playing ground. In this way, multilinguals provide a vital bridge between different communities and enable integration to occur.
Multilingualism has borne visible fruits in several countries. One of the most important cases in point is Switzerland. Switzerland has enjoyed relative political stability and economic growth with 4 dominant language groups in the country. The Swiss have managed to master this multilingual advantage by allowing some level of autonomy in its various cantons (Geographical regions). This autonomy has made it possible for different cantons to choose which languages they would prefer to use in their education systems (Stotz, 2006). The four dominant languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh have thus had some space to choose their language of preference.
The popularity and workability of this arrangement was put to test when, in 1996, a constitutional amendment dealing with language rights was put across. The amendment championed for the use of English universally in the education system of Switzerland. The strife that ensued resulted in the amendment of the fairly young constitutional provision. The amendment supported the upholding of multilingualism in the educational system of Switzerland, reflecting the important role that multilingualism plays in the maintenance of national peace, cohesion and development.
Multilingualism also enables deeper interacti...