Download - Российский комитет Программы ЮНЕСКО ...

and B.Whorf carry the theory of linguistic relativity. According to this theory,
people speaking different languages, have different visions of the world, so each
language reflects its speakers’ logic of thinking. Turning to another language, we
borrow another way of thinking, another way of understanding the world.
Thus, language loss and linguistic diversity reduction result in the loss of
valuable information, because each language is a unique way of describing
the world, expressing a people’s identity and transmitting social and cultural
traditions. It is the most important means of transferring unique knowledge,
accumulated by a given nation.
Like any other global challenge, the problem of linguistic diversity preservation
is characterized by a number of criteria:
• manifestations of magnitude that go beyond the limits of a single state
or group of countries;
• topicality;
• complexity: all problems are intertwined with each other;
• universal character of the problem, understandable and relevant to all
countries and peoples;
• requiring solution by the entire international community, all countries
and ethnic groups.
Preservation of linguistic diversity can justifiably be classified as an essential
problem of cultural ecology.
Search for Methods and Systematic Solutions to Safeguard Linguistic
Diversity as One of Mankind’s Global Problems
Surge and exacerbation of global problems of mankind requires for developing
a complex understanding and choosing best solution methods. UNESCO
has long been playing a leading role in coordinating international efforts to
preserve linguistic diversity. In recent years the preparation of a number of
important events (8) and documents (5; 6; 11; 13) has been initiated.
In the Russian Federation the idea of preserving linguistic diversity is being
actively promoted by the Russian Committee of the UNESCO Information
for All Programme. Thanks to its efforts information on the ways of solving the
problem of the linguistic diversity preservation in the modern world is collected,
analysed and interpreted in Russia. The analysis of papers published by the
Russian Committee (9; 10; 14) reveals the following set of measures, as well as
forms and methods used in Russia to preserve multilingualism in cyberspace.
108