Language is fundamental to the survival of any culture. The preservation of a native language with all its essential properties against any foreign influences is crucial to the protection of the national culture. This is a challenging task for responsible people at all levels, from the individual, family, and community levels to the national level.
Leaders of a nation and its policy makers need to be aware of the danger of cultural invasion in all forms, especially through multimedia and social network activities, language learning and teaching, tourism and related businesses. In the context of globalization and uncontrollable information influx, the so-called cultural exchange activities which aim at the young and the credulous could bring about unimaginably devilish consequences to a national culture. They may alienate future generations in a country from their own family, community and homeland, and turn them, especially the uneducated and the credulous, into culturally uprooted slaves serving the 21st-century neo-slavery.
As the first teachers of their children, parents have the greatest influence on their kids' cultural identity . Therefore, parents must be careful when they teach cultural values to their children. If the parents don't realize the danger of native language loss and national identity loss, their children will grow up culturally vulnerable and handicapped. They do not know who they really are. Without guidance, the kids easily get confused when confronting with multicultural values and multiracial opportunities in the context of globalization. There are always subgroups and subcultures with diverse characteristics. Which should the young pick, so that they can be beneficial for their self development, and for the development of their community and the whole society in which they live? Again, they need their parents' guide to avoid pitfalls.
Young people are very curious and enjoy trying new things, which is essentially good for their development. However, the young's freedom and individualism must be tampered with self-discipline, and at least a good common sense. Parents are supposed to help them with cultural guidelines, so that they can discriminate the appropriate from the inappropriate in a specific cultural setting, and never risk losing their own cultural identity.
Knowing who you actually are is not a simple task. In fact, it is very difficult, as difficult for the young as trying to figure out the purpose of their life. It is a matter of personal choice, some would say; but the individual is a member of the family and society, a connected part of his/her community and nation. And their personal choices do affect their family, community and society at large. Even the language they use within their family and in school can influence or spread to those living around them, such as their siblings and friends. Language is highly contagious. It also shapes a person's thoughts, and manipulates his/her actions and behaviors.
Parents of course should encourage their children to learn foreign languages, and to be exposed to diverse cultures. On the other hand, the parents must ensure that their children have a strong sense of their cultural identity, and adhere to the core values of their own culture. Globalization should never deplete respective cultural values of any group in human society.
We should respect the characteristics of each culture and the properties of each native language. No culture or language is supposed to be "superior" to any others. Parents and teachers should be careful with any form of "intermingled" or "hybrid" language. A person can learn many foreign languages, and may be able to know the languages very well and feel comfortable in various cultures. Still, s/he is expected to maintain a solid cultural identity and to master his/her native language, for these serve as the base on which the person constructs other values in life.
