ABSTRACT
Chapter 9 draws the ideas from the previous chapters together and argues in favour of a balanced or ecological attitude towards language.
Language is crucially important in any ideology, even though their messages are radically different. Human talk and animal language are less different than we often think, and more modesty is needed. Humans use language to imagine the world they live in – yet the stories should serve us, not the other way round. After all, languages are made by their users and they are carriers of a whole culture (e.g. the Arabic script). In today’s superdiverse world, English has become the hypercentral language. The pace at which other languages are disappearing is alarming.
An ecological approach to language sees humans as part of the larger ecosystems that life depends on. As in nature, diversity is crucial to the survival of languages. The approach ties in with the concept of posthumanism, which aims to rethink the relation between humans, animals, nature, and artefacts. The current linguistic ecosystem is out of balance. We should accept we’re not the centre of the world. Education can help to restore the balance and prepare students for a multilingual and multicultural world.
