With half of the world’s languages at risk of extinction by century’s end, Scottish author Irvine Welsh, famous for his 1993 novel Trainspotting, has voiced concerns at the first U.K. ‘Voiced: The Festival for Endangered Languages’. This unique festival showcases the importance of language and art while focusing on endangered global and local languages.
Irvine Welsh Takes the Stage with New Novel
Speaking at the festival event held on Thursday evening, Welsh presented excerpts from his latest novel, Men in Love, penned in the Edinburgh dialect. He then joined a vibrant panel discussion, \\”The Art of Language,\\” alongside poet Raymond Antrobus and others, with performances also being translated into British Sign Language by Pettra St Hilaire, and melodies by Welsh singer Talulah.
\\”If language is divorced from culture, it becomes a weapon of imperialism, it becomes a weapon of control, it becomes a weapon of commerce,\\” Welsh argued.
Welsh’s worry extends to a broader cultural crisis. He contemplates the erosion of language’s rich context into solely instructional forms, facilitated by the internet’s decontextualizing influence. The promise of the internet as a platform for healthy discourse and community has diminished, according to Welsh, reducing opportunities for \\”real language and real culture\\” to flourish.
\\”We have to watch technology, and we have to watch the aims of people who control the technology,\\” Welsh declared.
Encouraging a Return to Literature and Community
Welsh offered a straightforward remedy, one met with laughter from the audience: \\”I think people should just get out more, and read more.\\” Highlighting popular influences like the Netflix series Adolescence, he underscored the impact of not engaging with books, particularly on young people’s ability to empathize and understand complex human stories.
\\”We’ve got a situation now where most people would probably have seen Adolescence… you see the decline of empathy and you see decontextualized knowledge, particularly amongst young men,\\” he reflected.
Welsh stressed reading as crucial for developing empathy: \\”People should be reading books, they should be reading stories, they should be reading novels, because these are exercises in empathy.\\”
\\”What we’re being sold as multiculturalism isn’t. It’s globalization basically,\\” Welsh warned.
A Call to Reconnect with Purposeful Technology
Beyond language and reading, Welsh argued for a more cautious use of technology. He pointed out that technology is primarily designed to sell and, subsequently, to exert control once consumers are financially depleted.
\\”We have to really get back into communities,\\” he advised, urging vigilance about the algorithms that shape our interactions.
Welsh framed his remarks with a stark perspective in the event’s press notes, reiterating that losing language equates to losing culture, turning humanity into \\”androids of the tech age\\” and \\”slaves to algorithms.\\”
The \\”Voiced\\” festival continues until Saturday, inviting attendees to reflect deeply on the intersections of technology, language, and culture.
Reporting based on the original article; quotes reproduced verbatim.
