Linguistic Freedom: We Should not Take it for Granted
You may take for granted the idea that you can speak any language you choose. However, linguistic freedom is not a given throughout the world. There are places in the world where people are limited by their community or government in the languages they can use to communicate. In other places, people self limit for fear of negative consequences should others hear them speaking a certain language. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) seeks to make people aware that “Everyone has the right to freedom of expression in the language of their choice on the Internet and in the public domain” (UNESCO, 2020).
These rights to freedom of expression in the language of choice are codified in several documents, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Promotion and Use of Multilingualism and Access to Cyberspace. These documents provide universal linguistic rights for all people.
Linguistic rights have been infringed upon throughout history. Today, linguistic freedom can be limited by governments, educational groups, and other organizations. Often times, linguistic freedom is limited based on the claim that it is more efficient or cost effective for everyone to speak one language. Regardless of the reason, limiting linguistic freedom is a violation of linguistic rights and impacts negatively on groups of people.
Photo Credit: Azzedine Rouichi on Unsplash.
