The Pacific hosts a third of all modern languages of our planet
In the Pacific region, we can count up to two thousand languages, with world records concentration rate in countries such as Papua New Guinea (850 languages) and Vanuatu (over a hundred).
A symposium on the “status of indigenous languages in the French Pacific and Australia” was held Monday, May 25, 2015 at Sydney University. The event was based on the observation “the Pacific is proud to host a third of all modern languages of our planet.”
According to jakelin Tory, specialist of Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander at Sydney University, in addition to the recognized benefits of mother tongues’teaching in school, any policy of promotion and preservation is also good for health within communities.
A language can contribute to better health for individuals composing it
In summary: as a language can preserve culture and identity within communities, it can also contribute to better health of individuals who compose it.
“It has been shown that where the people’s maternal language is supported, it allows them to be educated in that language, allowing them to speak it daily, and therefore we can see a decrease in chronic diseases such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease (…) This is particularly true in Australia, Aboriginal communities that still speak their language, “she told local press this weekend.
