Coptic woman, 200 AD (Musée du Louvre)
There are over 7,000 languages in the world at the present; and it is estimated that almost 50% of them will be extinct by the end of the century. Currently, there are over 400 languages on the verge of extinction. The numbers of speakers of many languages are dwindling: more than 3,000 languages are spoken by less than 10,000 people; many spoken by less than 10 individuals.
The death of any language is a sad event. Many see the importance of preserving languages, and regard it in the same important vein as that of preserving biodiversity. Languages encode culture and knowledge; and, therefore, the loss of a language is not just a loss of words: much information about history, geography, medicine, pharmacology, zoology, botany, meteorology, wisdom and religion will be lost with the loss of a language. Not only people who have lost their languages suffer damage, but the whole world loses out. Preserving languages and revitalising them, therefore, is the business of everyone. Humanity loses much diversity in data sources for which we are all the poorer. Linguists have always understood this; and this is why they get involved in preserving and reviving even primitive languages that are unwritten and are only spoken by a few individuals.
But work to preserve languages and revitalising them is not taken seriously by linguists alone; nor does the importance of languages rests solely on its connection with culture and knowledge. Activists have always seen the nexus between language, power and politics. Privileged communities don’t lose their languages: languages of oppressed communities alone are threatened. The strong nexus between political, social and economic marginalisation of communities and the resultant threat to their languages has long been observed. Preservation and revitalisation of languages have, therefore, increasingly been seen as human rights matter; as acts of national resistance against injustice and oppression. This is why, since the 1980s, liberals have increasingly been involved in supporting language activists across the world.
All around the world, linguists and liberals, mainly Western, have been actively involved in projects to help native activists to document their languages, develop dictionaries and write grammars, record oral stories, create educational material, provide technical support, implement revitalisation programmes, and politically advocate for the marginalised communities. Much effort, time and money have been spent on such projects, particularly in the USA, Canada and Australia.
Where are the Western linguists and liberals in relation to Coptic? Coptic, been reduced to the religious domain by the Arab occupation and oppression, needs preservation and revitalisation. It has several activists that work towards its revival and expansion into wider domains, but their efforts are disjointed, week and often naïve, and the dictatorial governments of Egypt prevent any serious project to revive Coptic, let alone acknowledging, protecting and promoting it. The Copts need a lot of assistance from Western linguists and politicians if their efforts are to bear fruits. The linguists can help with ensuring scientific approach to the question of Coptic revival; and the politicians can support the lingual efforts by advocating for the cause, and aiding in the organisation and coordination of efforts.
Why don’t we see Western linguists and liberals paying attention to the efforts that are made to revive Coptic? It is difficult to know for sure; but it may be that Western linguists and liberals are keener to focus on the dialects and languages of the indigenous communities in their own countries, perhaps out of historical guilt. Yet, it may be because they are prevented through political correctness from helping the Copts, who are Christian, in revitalising their language that has been oppressed by the Arab Muslims of Egypt.
Will Western linguists and politicians show more interest in Coptic and its revival as a spoken language by the Copts? I know of some, but we are hoping for more.