Language promotion: How to keep local languages alive

Want to help a language survive and thrive where you live? You don't need a big budget or a government job. Small, daily actions by people, schools and local groups make the biggest difference. Here are practical steps you can start using right away.

Practical steps you can start today

Use the language at home and in public. Speak it with kids, grandparents and neighbours. Label everyday items (kitchen, tools, clothes) in the local language so children see written words paired with objects. Record short voice clips of elders telling stories or saying traditional phrases — a smartphone is all you need. Host a weekly story or song session at a community centre or library; five families sharing stories once a week builds a habit.

Make content online. Post short videos or photos with captions in the local language. Add subtitles in both the local language and a widely used language like Hindi or English to reach more people. Start a simple YouTube or WhatsApp channel for local recipes, folk songs, or how-to videos. Contributors can rotate — one person records, another uploads and another writes captions. This keeps workload light and participation high.

Teach and learn in small groups. Run beginner classes that meet for one hour twice a week at schools, temples, or community halls. Use games, local songs and picture cards instead of long grammar drills. Encourage young people to teach elders basic smartphone typing in the local script; this helps both groups and spreads digital literacy and language use online.

Tools, schools and community actions that actually work

Use tech smartly: install Google Indic Keyboard or other regional keyboards so people can type in native scripts. Use simple recording apps and free cloud storage to archive oral stories and songs. Encourage schools to follow the National Education Policy (NEP 2020) idea of early education in the mother tongue — even a few hours a week of local-language instruction matters.

Support local media and books. Buy local-language newspapers, magazines and children's books where possible. Volunteer to translate short articles or captions. Contribute to regional Wikipedia pages or community glossaries — even a few sentences help build written resources.

Make events visible. Organize a language day at school or a small fair where stalls feature local crafts, books and food with labels in the native language. Invite elders to speak and film their talks for online sharing. Use local festivals to highlight language: poetry nights, karaoke in the native tongue, or short plays by children.

Pick one small action this week — add bilingual labels at home, record a five-minute story from an elder, or post one social media caption in your local language. Consistent tiny steps add up fast. If you want, start a two-person team and commit to one action each week — you’ll be surprised how quickly a language becomes part of daily life again.