Linguistic Respect As A Social Justice Issue

Rare is the nation in which linguistic diversity is not evident. Some societies recognize one language as the official mode of communication for governmental and business affairs while others assign official status to two languages. In the same country, variations from state to state or province to province can be found, evidence of the cultural and ethnic diversity present at a regional level. Milian-Massana (1992) has written of Spain's policy of one official language at the national level complemented with bilingualism in the Basque, Catalonia, Galicia, Valencia, Navarre, and Balearic Islands regions. Giordan's (1992) work provides an overview of the contexts of several other European countries, while linguistic issues in the Baltic States are described by Bychkov Green (1997). A portrait of South Africa's linguistic realities can be found in Sachs (1997), and the issue is explored in Australia by Skutnabb-Kangas (1994). Michel Bastarache (2003) examines language rights in Canada in his recent work. Communication playing the essential role that it does, the issue of the right to use one's first language to express needs and to voice perspectives is fundamental to individuals and to groups. Yet this fact may not be recognized or acknowledged by those whose life experience has included membership in a dominant linguistic group. People who have had the comfort of always being able to be understood and to communicate in their first language often find it difficult to conjure up true awareness and acceptance that fellow citizens whose language holds a minority status in the society live a day to day reality that includes barriers, frustrations and challenges when they are continuously required to communicate in their second language.