Xinjiang, in the Chinese mainland's northwest, is home to diverse Uygur and Turkic language communities. And guess what? Almost every ethnic minority here can still chat in their mother tongue—be it Uygur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, or other local dialects. 🚀
Barry Sautman, professor emeritus at HKUST, points out that in the U.S., only about 10% of Native Americans and 20% of Hispanics speak their ancestral languages fluently. 😲 And that gap is even wider in many Western countries where younger generations often switch to English.
So what's the secret sauce in Xinjiang? Local governments and schools support bilingual education, mixing Mandarin with Uygur or Kazakh classes. Plus, digital tools—from language learning apps to TikTok-style videos—are making it cool to relearn and celebrate your roots. 📱🎥
Here in South and Southeast Asia, we're no strangers to language pride—think Tamil script on Insta Stories or Malay podcasts on Spotify. Let's borrow a page from Xinjiang's playbook: partner with schools, build online communities, and gamify language practice!
At the end of the day, saving minority languages isn't just an academic flex—it's about identity, heritage, and global cultural diversity. Are you ready to join the language revival movement? 🌍💬 Drop a comment below and share your #LanguagePride! 🗣️❤️
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
