Dr. Paul Meighan-Chiblow is a Scottish Gael sociolinguist. Photo: Supplied
UNESCO predicts the global community will lose as many as 3000 indigenous languages by the end of the century.
When a dominant language such as English, French or Spanish usurps the indigenous language, it also imposes economic and social power — as well as violent rhetoric and behaviour — resulting in a less equitable and multicultural social culture.
So says Scottish Gael sociolinguist Dr. Paul Meighan-Chiblow who's on his own Gàidhlig (Scottish Gaelic) journey as an adult learner.
Paul’s coined the term 'Colonialingualism' to describe the ways indigenous languages disappear and the way they are cynically commodified for tourism through linguistic imperialism.
