Sgaw Karen Language In Thailand
The threat of the Karen languages going instinct in Thailand
Today more than 3,500 minority languages are due to extinction, it is important to preserve these languages as it identifies the culture and roots of people. Thailand has a big spread of minority groups around the country due to this there are numerous languages that are still spoken within these minority group communities. As Thai is the official language spoken in
Thailand and the main language for communication, business, education, and media, not much focus is put on the minority languages which puts allot of these languages in danger of extinction. This research looks at the Karen languages spoken by the Karen minority groups in
Thailand which are also known as the hill
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In Thailand, apart from the official language
Thai, there are still yet another 73 individual mother tongues, one of which being the Sgaw
Karen language (Lewis). Unlike the Thai language, there are very few or no reading materials, dictionaries or linguistic descriptions of these languages available to the public (P.Pattanaporn, september 2012). Although the Sgaw Karen language has two writing systems, a Burmese-based and a Roman-based, Sgaw Karen speakers in Thailand do not have much opportunity to learn or practice either of them. There are no textbooks, newspapers or local television or radio stations in this country that are in the Sgaw Karen language. (P.Pattanaporn, september 2012). Because of this the younger Karen generation talk with their parents in Thai. Today, more than 3,500 minority languages worldwide are under threat of extinction as they reportedly have each fewer than 10,000 native speakers. Many children talk to their parents in the language that they learned at school and no longer use their ancestors’ mother tongue (Ladefoged 2001: 138-39). Among these endangered languages are hundreds of American Indian languages, hundreds of
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Professor Saw Si Thet Paw said that parents have responsibility to teach their children to value and to speak Karen languages, our ancestors said that if we lose our language, our ethnicity will also be lost – we need to be aware of this.” (S.Hun
Lin, 25 jan 2013).
Conclusion
Certain measures need to be taken to preserve the Karen language, which helps the Karen people preserve their culture and identity. Measures to record it in books, have dictionaries, make apps, and teach it at schools but the biggest problem is the younger generation is losing interest in their language. Even thou allot of initiatives have been taken by a number of organizations including the Thai ministry of education, United Nations and the royal institute of Thailand’s language to preserve the Karen languages, the younger generation needs to be motivated in learning and
KAREN LANGUAGES 6 continue using it. Seeing how languages have been constantly changing and many died over time, it is up to the elders to educate and motivate the younger generation so they have pride
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