UPSC » UPSC CSE Study Materials » General Awareness » Language Planning in State Nations and Nation States

Language Planning in State Nations and Nation States

The political history of the creation of nation states demonstrates how the nation state’s emergence included the deliberate encouragement of language convergence. In the process of developing a nation, the national language plays a variety of significant roles. It serves a utilitarian purpose first. As democracy grows, it becomes the primary means of communication that enables the country to run its political and economic affairs effectively.

It is hoped that self-interest will persuade the citizens of the nation state to accept dialect convergence or even language shift since it is the means of social promotion and required for employment in the mainstream. The citizens of the nation state are educated in their national education systems to be proficient in language and willing to assent to its spread.

language Importance in the Development of Nation

People connect with one another in a variety of ways, with communication being most frequent and language seems to be the most frequent means of communication. We utilize it to express ourselves and to communicate our feelings, thoughts, and emotions. The survival of the human species depends entirely on language, which is also a crucial component of many civilizations.

One such element that is both a part of daily life and tradition is language, which is also one of the most significant. It is undeniably a cornerstone of culture and essential to the growth of a nation whether this language is spoken by huge portions of the world’s population, like English, or by the significantly smaller sections, such ethnic minorities who may speak their own language.

Even if they have no shared interests, are from different generations, or are in different socioeconomic classes, language brings people together, and those people collectively make up a nation.

Language is important for the formation of cultural identity. Instead of being a straightforward definition, the word “culture” connects us to both places and individuals. People who belong to various social groupings learn, make, and share patterns of the behaviour and thought.

Important Role of Language in the Society

Language is fundamentally a kind of communication in which words or other signals are used to represent concepts, actions, and things. Language has existed for many thousands of years. Language was primarily spoken rather than written in the early times.

The development of the writing and later printing systems contributed significantly to the spread of knowledge, without which people would not have known about the lifestyles and mental processes of their predecessors. 

The secret to a human life is language. By using it as a medium to relay communication between people, they can eliminate misconceptions.

The ability to speak is one of the most distinct, obvious, and fundamentally human faculties. It is impossible to overstate the significance of language for people and society. Language is a personal thing that allows people to exhibit their personalities while also serving as a means of interpersonal communication.

Social Contact

First off, it facilitates social interaction. As we’ve seen, society is a web of interconnections between people, suggesting that social connections between people are easier to form when males are able to communicate with one another effortlessly.

Culture Carrier

Second, language influences how culture is transmitted. Language is required for ideas. Sometimes it’s difficult to translate an idea or notion since there aren’t words in the language to describe it. Because Hindi, our national language, lacks names for a number of English phrases used in sciences, we are experiencing this challenge in our country.

Easy to Spread Idea

Thirdly, language enables the ability to communicate ideas about a wide range of topics. When there was no language, thoughts were communicated through difficult-to-understand signs or cries. Man experienced tremendous difficulties in clearly expressing his emotional moods.

Nationality

In terms of international law, a person’s nationality establishes them as a subject or citizen of a sovereign state. It grants the state jurisdiction over the individual and grants the individual the state’s defence against other states.

The legal connection between a person and a nation is referred as nationality. A person’s nationality typically entails some obligations to the state as well as some protection from the state.

Conclusion

Most people are naturally good at language. Animals can express themselves by sounds, movements, or chemical markers, but only humans have the ability to use language. Language is present anywhere there are humans because there are an estimated 7000 different languages in the world. Many of us communicate in our original tongues automatically. However, the truth is that language is vital to the development of human society.

There are many importance of language in the society like it acts as an identity, it plays an important role in the education, it makes the social interaction easy and more.

faq

Frequently asked questions

Get answers to the most common queries related to the UPSC Examination Preparation.

Why is language essential in the development of a nation?

Answer: Being a means of communication and a means of expressing ideas and feelings, language plays a crucial role i...Read full

How does language play an important role in our society?

Answer: 1. Easy Communication ...Read full

Why is a universal language important for the people of the world?

Answer: People from many regions of the world speak various languages. Additio...Read full

Why is language considered as an identity?

Answer: The language you speak is a part of who you are, just as growing up in a particular culture becomes a part o...Read full