Every year 9 languages become extinct. Maybe this number isn't as big as you would've thought and maybe it doesn't seem scary, after all we have in between 6,500 and 7,000 languages in the world so what's the problem of losing another 9?

It isn't that simple, every time a language dies, part of a culture dies with it. Part of our culture as global citizens dies as well.

So what's the best way to fight this shrink in cultural diversity that globalisation and climate change have brought us? Talk about the native languages that are local to your country/area, teach them in school and try to learn some expressions/words on it.

Now, as some of you might now, I'm native from Portugal and in Portugal there are two official languages, although one is clearly dominant, Portuguese. But today I decided to write about our second official language, Mirandês or Mirandese in English.

The Mirandese language is spoken by around 15,000 people in North-eastern Portugal, close to the border with Spain in the regions of Asturias and Léon. It resembles the language of asturleonese (one of Spain's languages) and Portuguese a lot, in fact there is a total understanding between someone speaking Mirandese and someone speaking Portuguese.

Described as "the language of the farms, of work, home, and love between the Mirandese" this language was basically extinct until in the late 70s when the government started a series of initiatives to help the language. The main one being the admission into the role of official language in Portugal in 1989.

What happened with Mirandese is something that happens with multiple different languages as well, spoken by a poor small region surrounded by two of the world's biggest languages, it was often seen as a badly spoken Portuguese by the population. This allied with the start of TV broadcasts (in Portuguese only) and the urbanisation of the country led to a massive decrease in number of speakers.

What if in 1976 the government hadn't change anything?
Would we still have two languages in Portugal?
​
Probably not, probably Mirandese would be one of the 9 languages and cultures to have died last year, or the one before, who knows maybe even 10 years ago.

Viva la cultura de Miranda de I Douro.

When I got into kindergarten, I was so confused. Everyone spoke a language I didn’t understand at all. How could I? My parents only spoke to me in Bulgarian.

I even remember my sister cried and didn’t want to go to kindergarten at all. "Nishto ne razbiram tam, Mamo"[1] I would remember her saying in the first weeks. Fortunately, this phase quickly passed, and soon she started to communicate with her kindergarten friends in German. And so did I.

I asked myself, was it correct of my parents to teach us first Bulgarian and then to "throw us" into the deep end? Is it not confusing for the linguistic development of a child?

Well, nowadays, the answer for me is clearly, yes! Speaking to your child in your native language, or the language you are most comfortable with, does wonders for children's language development and acquisition, regardless of what language is being spoken. When parents and children share conversations in their native language, they experience greater levels of closeness and engagement with each other. Parents are able to provide richer vocabulary and descriptions in their speech, giving children more tools to describe and relate to the world around them. This knowledge provides children with a great foundation for later English learning.

Later, when I have kids, I am definitely going to raise them like my parents did: bilingual.

[1] “I don’t understand anything there, mom” in Bulgarian

The 21 February we celebrate International Mother Language Day. The theme chosen for this year is “Using technology for multilingual learning: Challenges and opportunities”.

The integration of technology in the teaching process was one of the most important steps for the growth of language learning after the Second World War. After 50s and 60s decades, new technologies came up in the language teaching field such as recorder, language laboratory, radio, television, computer-assisted learning and eventually, what we could call all sort of electronic device-assisted learning.

Out of all these technologies it is not hard to believe that nowadays, the mobile phone is the electronic device with more expectations in relation to language learning, and therefore point of attention for tecno-educative research.

But why so much interest in improving current technology for language learning when we could simply improve technology to directly avoid the necessity of learning languages?

I am aware that many people find learning languages a waste of time. However, speaking several languages has well known benefits like avoidance of dementia, concentration enhancement, improvement of problem-solving skills and even gaining more money.

Furthermore, even if these benefits are not enough for you, it is a fact that cultural diversity is globally growing. Especially due to the rising levels of international migration. Leading to the hypothesis that a more multicultural world could lead to a more multilingual generation.

There was a study done in 2011 that found out that 77% of millennials in the European Union spoke more than one language. And according to the publication, those who spoke more than one language were usually young professionals with higher education.

Leading me to the question, are we taking the opportunity that technology means for language learning?

An impressive example of taking opportunities and moreover, hard work, is Hillary Yip. A 13-year-old student from Hong Kong, successful application developer and executive director. She designed the application MinorMynas to connect children from all over the world with the purpose of learning each other’s mother language.

Nevertheless, despite the many ways in which technology can be helpful, not only for children, but for everyone, experts say that current technology has better results as a complement rather than as a replacement of conventional methodologies.

For the future, this statement may change with the rising of artificial intelligence like virtual assistants or chatbots, which are becoming each time more sophisticated.

​However, weather will technology replace conventional methods of language learning, or directly eliminate the necessity of language learning, is a question I leave open for you to reflect.

From the 15th to the 20th century, in the age of colonialism, countries from Western Europe (England, Portugal, Netherlands…) wanted to push their culture and their values on the Native people which they justified with having to civilise “barbaric” nations.

For this they used language. Why? Because language conveys values almost invisible and transports culture. Without the language how would you read a book? How would you understand a song?

So only speak English, don’t speak your Mother tongue. Don’t sing your songs, don’t tell your stories, don’t learn in your language. If you disconnect people from their culture and rob their identity, you weaken them.

Today the former oppressors make demands on having washed themselves free from this mindset. Nobody would ever think like this again, we are all equal, right?

Nevertheless, we, as former colonialists, still show these behaviors. You don’t speak English? You cannot be that smart anyway. Have you come to our country? Then you have to speak our language, take our values and abolish your culture.

As strongly as we reaffirm that we don’t think that any culture is less than another as strongly we still act like white saviours showing the migrants how to live right.

On the one hand, integration is important to live in a peaceful community. And language is a big part of it because without speaking the same language communication is not possible. On the other hand, we should ask ourselves why this integration needs to be only one-sided and complete. Why should people who already gave up their home and their job also have to give up on their culture and mother tongue?

Are we really thinking about how to best structure this multicultural society or rather looking down from our position of power and thinking: Pff if you want to stay here, you need to work for it? Are we too lazy to even lift a single finger for integration?

Yes, if you live in, let’s say, Germany you should be able to speak German but you don’t need to give up on your mothertongue. Why don’t we for a change also learn about the cultures and languages of the migrants. Because then and only then a multicultural society can be truly the enrichment that it is always promised to be.

Every 13 February it is celebrated as World Radio Day. This day is very important for society even though there are people who do not like this medium. Radio is still the one with the most increased consumption at the global level. So, as a consequence, the radio can reach all audiences democratically. And not only this, because radio also continues to be one of the most trusted and used media around the world, according to different international reports.

UNESCO decided for this year the next theme: “Radio and Trust”. In this context, with the pandemic of coronavirus that affects everyone, it is more common that people do not notice and believe more in fake news they can see in social media. People need to trust more in the information and to not believe in disinformation. In spite of radio being the most successful in the world, every time there is more populist discourses or unverified information that harms any democratic system. Fortunately, radio is one of the pillars of democratic systems and it can improve this issue. This medium is present all over the world and any person can access it. 
 
Radio is used as a space for communication, denunciation and debate, where the participation of the whole of society is also allowed. This media does not discriminate, it is accessible to the entire population, regardless of their socio-economic level. In fact, in rural areas, radio is listened for almost 90% of the population, where it serves as a vital platform for public discussion, information sharing and news. In addition, it is very effective to give voice to those who do not usually have one, such as women, LGTBI people or young people. In a few words, radio can be a powerful tool for empowerment and culture.

On the other hand, radio can generate one thing that maybe other media are not capable of doing: personal connection. People establish a circle of confidence and in many programs there is feedback with the listener. In the media address current affairs, topics which listeners can learn or are interested nowadays or music to entertainment. Broadcasters become a kind of companion as they do their daily tasks, indeed it reaches people everywhere and anytime so it kinda creates the feeling that someone is always there.

​Radio has managed to adapt to the present day. Radio is still alive despite the internet reaching everyone. Since their first emission at the beginning of the 20 century, radio has evolved and is still doing it. Podcasts and multimedia websites are some of the examples which demonstrate radio knows how to adapt to change. So, one might even say that it is not mortal. This powerful medium has many years ahead of it.

Free media can transform many key areas such as education, women’s and minorities’ empowerment, and government liability. Additionally, its importance in fostering democracy and prosperity is critical. But how does radio play a fundamental role in democracy?

Radio is the sole media available in rural areas throughout the world. Radio has supplied inexpensive real-time information and expert coverage of public-interest issues over the years, as well as assured distance learning and entertainment. As a result of its low cost, radio spans a wide geographic region, is accessible to residents at all levels of society, including the illiterate, and is well-positioned to reach out and provide a voice to excluded groups due to its extensiveness.

Democracy has long been viewed as requiring debate and discussion. Furthermore, radio is sometimes credited with helping to develop democracy through shaping political events, impacting public conversation, and influencing individuals’ views of reality.

For example, talk radio is particularly crucial in several African democracies that are struggling to overcome the legacy of repressive regimes, where censorship, detention, or state persecution are frequently the direct result of citizens publicly criticising the state. In those societies, for a variety of political and cultural reasons, open debate is typically discouraged. As a result, talk radio has the ability to contribute positively to democracy by guiding public opinion and providing a forum for political debate and discussion.

Radio is one of the most trusted and frequently utilised mediums, with a history spanning more than a century. Radio currently provides a range of programming via a variety of devices and forms, including podcasts and multimedia websites, reducing the gap between traditional and cutting-edge technology.

Radio is the most democratic kind of media since it allows citizens to participate easily and is widely accessible. Radio stations are more than just passive carriers of information or popular music. They are frequently at the centre of political, cultural, and identity debates, as well as a promoter for improving education and health, community building, and developing a civil society.

Radio has been invented in the late 1880’s mostly for military and marine communication. Some years later, radio was also the first communication media. However, during the world wars, the governments used the radio for propaganda to people believe in their political regimes.

In the 21st century, radio spreads news, music, some discussion/conversation about random society issues... In our society, radio’s listeners have decreased, people rather prefer watching TV than listening to the radio, when they have the choice. Indeed, TV is more relaxing since it takes all your concentration for a while. However, the TV industry is not flexible as the radio one: TV channels are run by big private companies who choose the TV shows that people can watch. There are much more rules for having a TV program than a radio one. In other words, the TV industry takes longer to adapt to time.

However, radio can entertain your imagination more than you think. While listening to the radio you can imagine the scenes, and you are also more focused on what people say, because you don’t have images which distract you and influence your opinion. Nevertheless, most people are listening to the radio while doing something else at the same time to not waste time. 

So why listen to the radio again?

There are so many different types of radio program: political, non-political, lifestyle, fashion, ecological, storytelling: you can find whatever you are interested in, without the huge number of advertisements that are on TV. Radio is more trustworthy and accessible for everyone.  Moreover, the fact that people who are working in the radio attract your interest just using their voice and nothing else is something very admiring.

So just some advice, if you want to be updated, you should rather turn on the radio than the TV!

Biodiversity is the greatest gift of our planet. And with climate change being such a concern I think it's time to open our eyes and understand what we can do to help.

Let's start by understanding how important are wetlands to our planet's biodiversity. Wetlands are biological super systems, and the amount of living species that only exist on swamps, marshes, bogs and fens is amazingly diverse and interesting especially when you take in consideration how small these areas are.

The biggest wetland in the world is situated in Brazil, and it's called the Pantanal. It covers 42 Million acres and its home to over 4,700 different species. These biological bombs are possible due to the fact that these areas are always incredibly rich on nutrients, while remaining particularly different from the rest of the world. Let's quickly understand why. Most of the wetlands that we nowadays have are living fossils of forests from the Palaeolithic, in fact just as animals evolved from water to land, so did plants, and, especially in swamps, the species we have are to plants what crocodiles are to animals. And this uniqueness not only gives us some of the most beautiful places on earth, it also allows for species to exist only in these places.

But biodiversity is not just important because it's "nice to look at". The more diverse our ecosystems are, the more balanced and independent they become. The concept of independent ecosystems might seem complex at first but it's actually a very simple and essential concept. If our ecosystems, regardless of how small they are, become fully independent again, then we have a self-regenerating wild area. And when talking about wetlands this is incredibly important, after all this simple process of letting nature be natural is like creating an expensive carbon absorber machine that's able to capture up to 30% of the CO2 in our atmosphere. Except it's for free, doesn't involve any big technological advances and it keeps our beautiful world as it is.

​The world is an amazingly complex self-regenerating system, and all we need to do is avoid interfering with it, something a lazy specie like ours should excel at.

The collapse of ecosystems and biodiversity, and water crises are among the top global threats to human well-being. For that reason, more than 500 international agreements were signed over the years to protect the environment. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an example, signed in 1971 in order to ensure the wise use and conservation of wetlands worldwide.
 
But what are wetlands? Wetlands are areas of land that are, either temporarily or permanently, submerged in water. Swamps, bogs, and marshes are the main three sorts of wetlands. They help contribute to water purification, biodiversity protection, flood control, food supply, and carbon absorption.
 
Although they are among the foremost profitable environments in the world that contribute the most to human welfare, wetlands are, surprisingly, the ones most undermined by human activities. From 1970 to 2015, wetlands have declined by 35% globally.
 
By 2021, 2391 wetlands had been recognised as Wetlands of International Importance, with Europe accounting for around 47% of them. Nevertheless, national governments have been providing little to no protection to numerous sites. As a result, the European Union has been encouraging wetland conservation. Possessing one of the most extensive and toughest environmental rules than any other international organisation, the EU has issued several directives related to the maintenance and protection of wetlands.
 
Additionally, the term “Common Heritage of Humanity” is used in various international agreements. The Ramsar Convention, on the other hand, does not specifically include wetlands in the sphere of humanity’s common heritage. Despite this, the EU has designated the common heritage on a regional basis, i.e., Common European Heritage.
 
The European Union possesses effective legal means to ensure that the Union’s statutes and regulations, as well as those issued by its member institutions, are followed. Represented by the European Commission, this mechanism is responsible for ensuring that EU regulations on wetlands are being followed by the Member States.
 
Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, the environment has been even more in the spotlight, especially in the European Union. And while the EU is one of the distinguished organisations in the field of the legal framework for protecting the environment, we should still press European governments to acquire even stronger legal protection for wetlands, in particular, and the environment, in general.