General Assembly Resolution # 426
Protecting Minority Languages
A resolution to promote funding and the development of education and the arts.
This World Assembly,
Declaring that the existence of an independent language is intrinsically valuable, both as unifying part of cultural heritage and as a different perspective from which to perceive the world,
Acknowledging that political prejudice and societal intolerance is considerably diminishing linguistic diversity throughout the world, and is hastening the extinction of many minority languages,
Recognizing also the importance that the diversity of languages has for academic studies such as linguistics, psychology, history, anthropology, and other pursuits of knowledge;
Hereby,
Prohibits a member nation from purposely enacting measures through law or administrative rule which aim to deliberately eradicate a living minority language, or endorse any other efforts to suppress the active use of a minority language, with the intention of causing language death in its borders,
Again confirms an individual's right to learn and write, emphasizing for the purpose of this resolution an individual's right to learn and practice their native language if they so please,
Encourages multilingual nations to foster healthy linguistic diversity within their borders as recommend from the following committee,
Establishes the World Assembly Language Society (WALS) which shall have two central functions as of the ratification of this resolution:
1. Conducting an academic survey of existing languages, which entails:
i.) Recording the existence of any living native language within the World Assembly.
ii.) Evaluating the vitality of a language and its designation as a language in danger of language death.
iii.) Creating an accessible archive of this information to facilitate linguistic research.
2. Acting as an authoritative body on matters of language preservation and revitalization for nations within the World Assembly, which entails:
i.) Advising and working with receptive governmental bodies on matters of language preservation and revitalization within their jurisdictions.
ii.) Assisting local efforts with the creation and promotion of programs which educate interested students on their endangered language.
iii.) Promulgating suggested guidelines on methods for nations to practice linguistic diversity.
Notes that nothing in this resolution is to be construed as to prevent persons from becoming multilingual, to prevent member nations from establishing a national language, instituting compulsory language education, or any other unreasonable interpretation not in the spirit of protecting minority languages from the threat of language death.
Passed: |
For: | 16,681 | 82.2% |
Against: | 3,620 | 17.8% |