INDIA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
SHARJAH
ENGLISH PROJECT ON
THE LAST LESSON- FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION
Submitted by Saba Muskan Ismail
(Reg. No. 5900 )
Under the guidance of
Ms. SARANYA ARUN
2023-24
INDIA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
SHARJAH
Certificate
Department of English
This is to certify that Saba Muskan of class 12 C has carried out
the necessary Record Work under my supervision for the academic year
2023-2024.
Seal Teacher in-Charge
Ms. Saranya Arun
(HOD, Dept. of English)
Date:
Year: 2023-24
(Examiner)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I take this opportunity to convey my hearty and sincere thanks to Ms.
Saranya Arun, my English teacher who always gave valuable
suggestion, support, encouragement and supervision for completion of
my project. Her moral support and continuous guidance enabled me to
complete my work successfully.
I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Manju Reji (Principal)
and other staff for their advice and guidance in doing this report.
I take this opportunity to convey my thanks to my Parents, Friends
and all those people who have helped me during the journey of my
Record Report, which I have completed successfully. This report has
given a wonderful and enlightening experience to me.
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ENGLISH PROJECT
THE LAST LESSON - FREEDOM OF SPEECH
AND EXPRESSION
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INDEX
S. No Topic Page. No.
1 OBJECTIVE 3
2 ACTION PLAN 4
3 INTRODUCTION 5
4 CONCEPTS OF LINGUISTIC CHAUVINISM 6
5 IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE 7-8
6 HISTORICAL EVENTS WHEN LINGUISTIC 9
IDENTIFY WAS THRATENED
7 FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR (1870) 9
8 JAPANESE INVASION OF KOREA (1910-1945) 10
9 ANNEXATION OF TIBET BY PEOPLE 11
REPUBLIC OF CHINA(1951)
10 THE LAST LESSON AND LINGUISTIC 12-13
CHAUVINISM
11 CONCLUSION 14
12 REFLECTION 15
13 BIBLOGRAPHY 16
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OBJECTIVE
THIS PROJECT IS BASED ON FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION
INSPIRED BY THE THEME OF “THE LAST LESSON” – BY ALPHONSA
DAUDET
To explain linguistic chauvinism
Highlighting the importance of languages
Globalization of languages
Describe the concept of freedom of speech and expression
Franco-Prussian war
Historical references of events wherein linguistic identity were threatened/snatched
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INTRODUCTION
Linguistic chauvinism refers to the irrational belief that your own country and
language are finest and significant. The story of ‘The Last Lesson ‘is about language
chauvinism and how man find himself in its confines. But Hamel’s and the village
elders love of French does not equate to this. They are rather victims of it Alsace’s
French-speaking population is being forced to learn German. The Alsatians
acquisition of power made the Prussians so powerful that they imposed even their
language on the others. They desired to have control over their subject’s brains and
hearts, and they wanted them to think in their language, forcing them to lose their own
identity. Thus, the story emphasis linguistic chauvinism, which is becoming a major
cause of war and political upheaval around the world. Freedom of speech is a
principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their
opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship or legal sanction. The right
of freedom of expression has been recognized as human right in the Universal
Declaration of Human rights and International Human Rights Law by the United
Nation. Many countries have constitutional law that protect free speech. The freedom
of expression includes any activity of seeking, receiving and imparting information or
ideas, regardless of medium used. Linguistic chauvinism is a direct threat to freedom
of speech and expression as it restricts a particular group/community from
communicating their language and forcefully imposing a foreign language on them.
Incidents of linguistic chauvinism have been witnessed many time in history in
different areas of the world which will be discussed in a later part of this project.
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CONCEPT OF LINGUISTIC CHAVINISM
Chauvinism is a devotion for or against something, just based on what you feel (not
necessarily what you may know).
Linguistic Chauvinism is the inordinate love for one’s language. This love is so
much strong that one considers one’s language superior to all the other languages of
the world and imposes one language on others.
This theme is effectively brought out by the writer Alphonse Daudet who teaches
people to hold on fast and guard their language which is the key to their freedom and
symbolizes their identity. This happens generally when the language imposed is that
of the ruling class. But it could be something as simple as Tamil speakers who start
talking in Tamil as soon as they see non-Tamilians around or Japanese colonizers in
the early 20th century who banned the Koreans from using their language and even
forced them to use Japanese names.
Also, sometimes it can lead to partition as in the case of Pakistan and Bangladesh
which lead to the BENGALI LANGUAGE MOVEMENT which resulted in the
partition.
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IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE
What is the importance of language?
Language matters a great deal as this is what helps to distinguish the sayings of one
individual from the other. If used efficiently it is a powerful and strong weapon that will
leave memorable Impressions on the listener. The importance of language in our society
is clear as it has helped to smooth social contacts, preserve our culture and convey our
thoughts to individuals and people in groups effectively. Language is considered an
important tool that helps to create cultural ties, friendships, and relationships. It is a
medium used to offer shape to the thoughts, ideas and emotions depending upon the
perception of reality and portray it to others in a manner that the people listening can
understand and relate to them. A common language is a symbol of social solidarity and
gives the impression of cultural kinship. There are different cultures in the world and it
themselves the language that primarily distinguishes the differences between the cultures
and celebrates its unique features. The importance of language is that it shapes the
thought process and perception of how an individual views the world. It also helps to
define the concept of culture in society because culture and language are closely
connected. It is the language that helps other to understand the culture of a place. It
conserves our culture and helps to spread it as a culture carrier. When you know the
language, it signifies that you are aware of the culture and can connect with people in that
language.
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RELETIONSHIP BETWEEN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
How is language connected to culture?
The concepts of language and culture seem different from each other. Language
focuses on spoken and written expressions while culture focuses on the identity
of a certain group of people. But these concepts are homologous to each other.
Both of them share the realities, behaviors, and human values of a specific group
of people.
As these two concepts evolve, they influence each other in a way that they
become inseparable. Culture is the result of people interacting with each other
while language is the cultural manifestation of a certain group of people. If you
take out one concept, the other may not survive.
Simply put, language is not limited to conveying ideas and concepts. It is
considered a symbolic system that creates and shapes realities. These realities
include identities, perceptions, and values, which are, in fact, a part of a culture.
On the other hand, culture can also be considered a communicative event. For
instance, art conveys the message of the artist to his or her audience. Dance also
communicates a message to the audience, such as the ritual dances of native
Americans. Art and dance are part of the culture of a group of people and they
contain a message the people want to convey to other groups of people.
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LINGUISTIC RELATIVITY
The relationship between the two can also be explained through a concept called
linguistic relativity. A simple explanation of this concept is that language
determines the way a person views the world. Or the person’s perception of the
world corresponds to the person’s spoken language.
For instance, the description of snow when talking about the weather. For
ordinary English speakers, snow is simply snow. But for Eskimos, snow can be
defined in different ways when they use the Inuit language. When translated to
English, snow can be frosty snow, wet snow, or even clinging snow. So,
language has a direct effect on the culture of a person
If you want to understand a certain culture better, you should learn to speak the
language of a group of people. Once you speak the language, you’ll have a
different outlook on the culture of a person. Communication is essential to
know how a person interprets or views the world.
TRANSMISSION OF LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
Since language is learned, it can be culturally transmitted. Children typically
learn a language when they are young. The language they learn normally carries
with it the culture the language is associated with. For instance, when they learn
their mother tongue or the language of their parent, they will learn their parent’s
culture. On the other hand, when they learn a second language, they will
assimilate the culture of different people.
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HISTORICAL EVENTS WHEN LINGUISTIC IDENTITY
WAS THREATENED
FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR (1870)
After the defeat in the war Prussia gained the control of French districts Alsace and
Lorraine which served as the centers for the Prussian army during the war. due to the
large presence of Prussian soldiers and gaining control of these districts Prussian
empire started imposing its culture and German language on the people living here.
orders regarding teaching of only the German language in schools were passed and
those who knew how to read and write French were forced to flee. this was done to
demean the French language and to crush the spirits of the native people so they
can’t revolt in future against the Prussian hegemony because when the people are
enslaved, as long as they hold fast to their language it is as if they had the key to their
prison
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HISTORICAL EVENTS WHEN LINGUISTIC IDENTITY
WAS THREATENED
JAPANESE INVASION OF KOREA (1910-1945)
After the annexation of Korea many changes were seen in the education system of
Korea. by 1939 Japan’s focus had shifted towards cultural assimilation of the Korean
people imperial decree 19 and 20 on Korean civil affairs went into effect, whereby
ethnic Koreans were forced to surrender their traditional use of the clan-based Korean
family name system and many Koreans received a Japanese surname. integration of
Korean students in Japanese language schools steadily increased over time. while
before this schools in Korea had used mostly Hanja script, during this time Korean
came to be written in a script introduced by the Japanese. in 1928, Hangeul day (9
October) was inaugurated, which was meant to celebrate the accelerating
Japanimation of Korean culture. the Japanese administrative policy shifted more
aggressively towards cultural assimilation after 1939. this left less room for Korean
language studies and by 1943 all Korean language courses had been phased out. as a
result of which teaching and speaking Korean was prohibited and whomsoever
disobeyed these orders were forced to migrate to china.
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HISTORICAL EVENTS WHEN LINGUISTIC IDENTITY
WAS THREATENED
ANNEXATION OF TIBET BY PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF
CHINA (1951)
After the annexation of Tibet by china(prc) a lot of efforts are made to suppress
Tibetan culture and language. china initially implemented a policy of dual-language
education in Tibetan areas but soon phased it out and started imposing mandarin
Chinese. nowadays Tibetans’ devastating lack of economic opportunity is inextricably
related to language. Tibetans who do not speak Chinese have no access to well-paying
jobs and on opposing these policies the Tibetans are sent to concentration camps
located in the Xinjian region. the loss of the Tibetan language can be linked to the loss
of Tibetan Buddhism, a treasure of Tibetan culture. people had previously
remembered Tibetan by reciting religious chants, but once the chants were banned,
they inevitably lost the language. the loss of language ability has led to the loss of
cultural and social ties within Tibetan villages.
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THE LAST LESSON AND LINGUISTIC CHAUVINISM
The ‘last lesson ‘by Alphonse Daudet is mainly about longing to learn the mother
tongue and love for it.
It has sense of patriotism.
In the last lesson the Prussians rejected the freedom of people of Lorraine and Alsace
to learn their own mother tongue and started forcing germen onto them.
The colonizers took away the basic rights of the people
When the student could not learn their own language, they sensed a feeling of being
restricted and being forced to not do something that they enjoy doing and find their
solace in the practice of linguistic chauvinism which is highlighted in their story to
draw our attention. It throws lights upon the pride one owns in their mother tongue &
considering other language equally not worthy.
People of Lorraine and Alsace were the victim of it. They were forced to learn
germen.
Franz, a school student who was always reluctant in his French class and never took it
seriously, saw how important it was to learn his mother tongue. the quality of people
displays that human respect things more than they see it going. also, the parents
preferred to see their children working well rather than learning French.
In the later years they realized how much they missed learning French and felt sorry
about it. How Prussians drilled their land is shown by how unfairly they were treated
in their own motherland.
The last lesson raises the burning question very innocently through the words of little
Franz that ‘will they make them sing germen, even the pigeons?” this raises the
question of imposing a language on others, the child questions that when even birds
and animals can’t be forced to abandon their language, then what forces a man to
enforce a language on others.
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CONCLUSION
From the few examples mentioned previously it is clear that whenever a new territory
is conquered by a nation, the leaders of that nation try to suppress any future uprising
by separating the people from their culture and language as they both play a vital role
in creating a feeling of nationalism.
By imposing a foreign language directly or indirectly, an inferiority complex can be
created among the people regarding their language and culture which can be
experienced even after that country is liberated and freed.
This can be seen in case of India as even after 74 years of independence, English
language is seen as a status symbol among Indian citizens and given a superior status
in comparison to other Indian languages such as Sanskrit, Tamil, telegu, Malayalam,
Hindi etc.
which has resulted in Indian youth not feeling connected to their roots and culture.
this same pattern can be seen in other British and American colonies such as south
Korea, japan, Africa and Vietnam. thus, it is very important for a colonized/enslaved
country to preserve its culture because as quoted by alphonso Daudet – “when the
people are enslaved, as long as they hold fast to their language it is as if they had the
key to their prison”.
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REFLECTION
This topic has been chosen for the project as the effects of linguistic chauvinism can
be seen in many parts of the world which developed a curiosity to explore more about
this topic.
Although it was very difficult to find any information relating to the incidents of
linguistic chauvinism in past and present because no nation wants to admit the
atrocities, they had committed toward the residents of different territories they had
annexed in the past.
This project provided a whole new experience because, while working on this project,
i came to know about the relationship between the language and the culture of a
region, the various impacts on the culture of a region if a foreign language is imposed
there.
It also helped me to understand the importance of language and the right to
communicate in that language for the people of a particular region.
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BIBLOGRAPHY
1. Wikipedia
2. Fluentu.com
3. Mycbseguide.com
4. Onlinefreenotes.com
5. Class 12 English textbook flamingo
6. Litcharts.com
7. Eslactivity.org
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