ULwesihlanu wowama21 kweyoMdumba (Februwari) uphawula iminyaka engama25 wesikhumbuzo soMhla wokuBhiyozela iiLwimi zeeNkobe weHlabathi (IMLD), osisikhumbuzo esenziwa kwihlabathi lonke qho ngonyaka ukukhuthaza ulwaziso loluntu malunga neelwimi ngeelwimi neenkcubeko ngeenkcubeko kwakunye nokukhulisa ukusetyenziswa kweelwimi ngeelwimi. Olu suku olwamiselwa yiUNESCO ngowe1999, luqaqambisa indima engundoqo yeelwimi kwezemfundo, kugcino lwenkcubeko nakubandakanyeko loluntu kusetyenziswa ulwimi, kananjalo lugqamisa imingeni yeelwimi ezisemngciphekweni wokutshabalala neyoluntu oluthetha iilwimi ngeelwimi olukwihlabathi lonke.
Ngowama21 kweyoMdumba (Februwari) 1952, abafundi abahlanu baye babulawa baze abaninzi bonzakala xa ngamapolisa ngenxa yokuba babe noqhankqalazo eBangladesh (eyayibizwa ngelo xesha ngokuba yiEast Pakistan) lokuba kuthathelwe ingqalelo iBengali njengolwimi olusemthethweni. Kwiminyaka emine elandela leyo, iBengali yathi yaba lulwimi olusemthethweni.
Into eyaqala njengentshukumo yesizwe yahlupheza intshukumo yehlabathi lonke ukuba kulwelwe amalungelo olwimi. Ngoku, olu suku luluphawu lwamalungelo omntu ngamnye ukuba afunde, athethe ze aphuhlise ulwimi lwakhe lweenkobe engenaxhala lokucalulwa okanye lokucinezelwa.”
Lo asingomba wamagama kuphela
Ngaphakathi kwiilwimi zoluntu kukho iinkcubeko, iimbali nokutyhila ukuba abantu abathetha ezo lwimi bangoobani na. Xa ulwimi luduka, kulahleka indlela ethile yokucinga, nobaliso lwamabali kunye nokuqondwa kwehlabathi unomphelo. I-UN iqikelela ukuba kukho malunga ne8 300 yeelwimi kwihlabathi lonke, yaye malunga ne40% yezo lwimi isemngciphekweni wokutshabalala okanye ‘wokuphela’, ngamanye amazwi, akukho bantwana okanye bantu batsha abathetha olo lwimi yaye ngabantu abadala abambalwa kuphela abasaluthethayo. Okubuhlungu ke, kukuba oku kubandakanya ulwimi lokugqibela kwiilwimi ezazithethwa ngamaKhoisan eMzantsi. Ukususela ngo2017, iNama, elulwimi olwaluthethwa kakhulu luluntu lwamaKhoisan eMntla Koloni, ibisele ithethwa kuphela ngabantu abangama2 000, uninzi lwabo ingabo baneminyaka engaphezu kwamashumi amahlanu; ngabantu abadala abathathu kuphela beKhomani San abasathetha ulwimi lweN | uu; yaye babini kuphela abantu abaziwayo abasathetha iKora, elulwimi lwamaKorana.
Nanjengokuba umsebenzi wolwimi ungaphelelanga ekunxibelelaneni ngalo, ukuba neelwimi ezahlukahlukileyo asiyonto yokugcina nje amagama, koko ikwangumba wokutshintshiselana ngeenkcubeko nokuqinisekisa ukuba wonke ubani uyafikelela kumathuba ezemfundo nakumathuba onke akhoyo. Umxholo weIMLD 2025, “Iilwimi ziLulutho (Languages Matter)!” ukwagxininisa isidingo esingxamisekileyo senkqubela sokuthathelwa ingqalelo kweelwimi ezahlukahlukileyo nokubandakanywa kwazo njengenxalenye yeeNjongo neZiPhumo zoPhuhliso oluZinzileyo zeUN (SDGs). ukuSetyenziswa kwazo kwiHlabathi lonke. Imigaqonkqubo yeelwimi ezongamela ezinye nenkqubela kwiteknoloji kubeka engozini ukuthathelwa ingqalelo kweyantlukwano ngokweelwimi, nto leyo ethi ikhokelele ekucezelweni kweelwimi ezingabonwa njengezisetyenziswa kakhulu. Kungokunje, zingaphantsi kwe100 iilwimi ezisetyenziswa kakhulu kunxibelelwano ngedijithali nakumaqonga eintanethi, nto leyo eyenza ukuba kungafikeleli wonke umntu kulwazi nakumathuba okufunda kwabo bathetha iilwimi ezithethwa ngabantu abambalwa. Kuba ngoku iteknoloji iyiyo esetyenziselwa unxibelelwano, kubalulekile ukuqinisekisa ukuba zonke iilwimi, kubandakanywa iilwimi zesintu nezo zithethwa ngabantu abambalwa, ziyamelwa kwezemfundo, kubomi bukawonkewonke nakumaqonga edijithali.
Ukusetyenziswa kweelwimi ngeelwimi nokunye
Ukusetyenziswa kweelwimi ngeelwimi kuxela ubukho beelwimi ezingaphezu kwesibini kummandla othile okanye ukukwazi ukuthetha ngaphezu kweelwimi ezimbini. Eli libinzana elisetyenziswa kakhulu kwiingxoxo ezimalunga nemfundo nobandakanyeko loluntu. Uphando lubonakalisa ukuba ama40% oluntu kwihlabathi akafikeleli kwimfundo ngolwimi abantu abo abaluthethayo okanye abaluqondayo, nto leyo eyenza ukuba kube nzima ukuba abantwana baphumeze konke ebebenokuphumeza.
Ngokufaka iilwimi zeenkobe kwimfundo, uluntu lungakhula ekukwazini ukufunda nokubhala, iziphumo zokufunda zingaphucuka yaye abantu banganonxibelelwano olunzulu nenkcubeko yabo.”
Ukusetyenziswa kweelwimi ezininzi ngaxeshanye, okusisigama esisandula ukusetyenziswa akupheleli nje ekwazini iilwimi ezininzi. Kugxininisa ukukwazi ukusebenzisa iilwimi ezininzi ngaxeshanye, umntu ekufumana oko kwiilwimi neenkcubeko ezahlukileyo. Ngokungafani nombono “wobungcungela” kwiilwimi ezahlukileyo, ukusetyenziswa kweelwimi ezininzi ngaxeshanye, kuthathela ingqalelo ukuba umntu usenokungazazi ngokupheleleyo zonke ezo lwimi, koko uye asebenzise iilwimi ezahlukileyo ngokwemeko nesidingo selo xesha.
Isiseko soku kukunxibelelana ngempumelelo endaweni yokukwazi ulwimi olo ngokupheleleyo njengeyona njongo yokufunda ulwimi. Xa kusetyenziswa iilwimi ezininzi ngaxeshanye kwezemfundo, naxa kukhuthazwa ukufundwa kweelwimi ukususela ebuntwaneni, kungaxhobisa umntu ngamnye ngezakhono zokuphumelela kwihlabathi ngeli lixa kugcinwa ubambelelo olumandla kulwimi lweenkobe. E-SU, ukusetyenziswa kweelwimi ezininzi ngaxeshanye, kuyinxalenye yengqiqo yokusetyenziswa kweelwimi ngeelwimi – indlela yokubona ubomi apho ubani enomnqweno wokusebenzisana nabantu abathetha ezinye iilwimi ngokuthi amkele into eziswa kukwahluka komnye umntu kwiqonga lokubonisana.
Nanjengoko sibhiyozela uMhla wokuBhiyozela iiLwimi zeeNkobe weHlabathi 2025, masikhumbule ukuba ulwimi lungaphezulu nje kwamagama; koko lumalunga nokuba umntu ngamnye ungubani na, lungemveli yomntu, lungoqhagamshelwano. Nokuba uthetha ulwimi olunye okanye ezininzi, inzame nganye yokugcina, ukufunda okanye ukukhuthaza ulwimi lweenkobe iba negalelo kwihlabathi elibandakanya wonke ubani nelineelwimi ngeelwimi. Iilwimi zilulutho yaye kufuneka sizikhusele.
– Ibhalwe nguTania Botha; yaguqulelwa nguNcebakazi Saliwa-Mogale noMawabo Sijila
