Safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage: Protecting languages as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage

Résumé du document

The 2003 Convention for the safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage defines the intangible cultural heritage as “the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artifacts and cultural spaces associated therewith – that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage” .

Intangible cultural heritage can be manifested in various domains:

Oral traditions and expressions, language is a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage.
Performing arts, which includes traditional music, dance and theatre.
Social practices, rituals and festive events.
Knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe.

Traditional craftsmanship.

Intangible Cultural Heritage gives communities and groups a particular sense of identity and promotes respect for cultural diversity and human creativity. To be safeguarded, it must be transmitted from generation to generation. The intangible cultural heritage is traditional and living at the same time, this means that it is mainly transmitted orally and constantly recreated. Several elements of the intangible cultural heritage are endangered because of globalization.

Extraits

[...] Endangered Languages programme at UNESCO Languages are not only tools of communication; they also reflect a conception of the world. They are vehicles of cultural expressions and of value systems. Languages are an essential component of the living heritage of humanity. According to the experts of the 6700 languages spoken today are in danger of disappearing; currently one language disappears every two weeks. A. Determining the vitality of a language Since 1993, UNESCO's Intangible Heritage Section has carried out its Endangered Languages Programme. [...]

[...] According to UNESCO, at least half of the existing languages will die before the next century. When a language is in contact with another much more extensive language, it can be threatened of extinction because of historical, political, economic, cultural or demographic raisons. Thus, there is no single determining cause which can be generalized as each situation has its own history and characteristics. Thus, we can distinguish factors causing threat on languages: - Political factors (linguistic colonisations, policies) - Demographic factors reduced number of speakers, reduction of the population, mixed marriages, migrations due to conflicts or economic causes, deportations) - Economic and social factors (economic crises, economic exploitation, acculturation) - Physical agressions (natural disasters, physical epidemics, aggressions). [...]

[...] The constant evolution of globalization requires preserving the minority cultures in order to avoid the acculturation of certain people. However, preserving a culture does not mean to maintain it in “passivism”, but to give it the capacity to adapt itself to the present. Cultural continuity consists in a constant adaptation of people to their new environment. B. Conventions regarding linguistic rights On demand of several governmental organizations, various proposals so that linguistic rights should be recognized as part of Human rights and protected internationally were written. [...]

[...] To what extent can we say that the existence of an ethnic group depends on the existence of a language? Which means are applied to protect these languages threatened? In this study, we will first study the specificities of oral traditions and expressions, before observing UNESCO's endangered languages programme. I. Oral traditions and expressions as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage world is a mosaic of visions and each vision is encapsulated by a language. Every time a language is lost, one vision of the world disappears”. David Crystal, outstanding linguist. [...]

[...] To allow the financing of these programs, a Fund for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage is established. To attribute funds, a special attention is given to the safeguarding of the heritage inscribed on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. In addition to the regular contributions of States Parties, voluntary contributions are encouraged to contribute to the implementation of the Convention. Bibliography - Claude Hagège, Halte à la mort des langues, Editions Odile Jacob, octobre 2000 - Daniel Nettle, Suzanne Romaine, Ces langues, ces voix qui s'effacent, Editions Autrement, août 2003 - Audrerie Dominique, Souchier Raphaël, Vilar Luc, Le patrimoine mondial, Presses Universitaires de France, coll. [...]