Izilimi—Ziwumzila Nomgoqo Wokuxhumana
NGUMLOBELI WE-PHAPHAMA! EMEXICO
“Awukho umlando ongasenza siqonde ngokucacile izenzakalo ezenzeka kubantu, ukuhleleka kwabo ngokwezenhlalo nezinkolelo nemizwelo yabo, njengokuhlaziya ulimi lwabo.”—UMARTÍN ALONSO.
PHAKATHI nomlando, ulimi—umsuka walo, ukuhlukahluka kwalo nokukhula kwalo—kuye kwazithakazelisa izazi. Ngempela, isithakazelo sazo siye saze salondolozwa nokulondolozwa—njengoba kuye kwaba njalo ngemilando eminingi—lokhu kungenxa yolimi ngokwalo. Ngokungangabazeki, ulimi yindlela eyinhloko yokuxhumana kwabantu.
Okwamanje, ezinye izazi zezilimi zilinganisela ukuthi kunezilimi ezingu-6 000 noma ngaphezulu ezikhulunywayo emhlabeni, uma zingabalwa izilimi zezigodi. Kuze kube manje ulimi olukhulunywa ngabantu abaningi ukuzedlula zonke isiMandarin saseChina, esikhulunywa abantu abangaphezu kwezigidi ezingu-800. Ezine ezilandelayo ngokukhulunywa kakhulu, isiNgisi, iSpanishi, isiHindi nesiBengali, azilandelani njengoba sizibhalile.
Kwenzekani lapho amasiko ahlukene, ngokufanayo nezilimi zawo evele ehlangana? Ngakolunye uhlangothi, ukuhlukana kwamaqembu kuzithinta kanjani izilimi zawo? Ake sibone ukuthi yakheka kanjani imizila—kodwa futhi nemigoqo—yokukhulumisana.
Isifanakalo, Izilimi Ezixubile Nezilimi Eziyinhloko
Ukwenziwa kwamakoloni, ukuhwebelana kwamazwe ngisho nokuvalelwa emakamu okuhlushwa kuye kwenza abantu babona isidingo sokuvala igebe ekuxhumaneni elibangwa ukungakhulumi ulimi olulodwa. Ngakho baqala ukusebenzisa indlela yolimi encishisiwe noma eyenziwe lula. Bakhipha imithetho yolimi eyinkimbinkimbi, basebenzise amagama ambalwa futhi bawalinganisele ezintweni ezivamile. Ngale ndlela kwakheka isifanakalo. Isifanakalo, njengoba sincishiswe ngendlela esincishiswe ngayo, siwulimi olunesimiso salo. Kodwa uma siphela isidingo esabangela ukuba sibe khona, singase siphele.
Lapho isifanakalo siba ulimi oluvamile emphakathini, kwenezelwa amagama amasha bese umthetho wolimi uhlelwa kabusha. Bese siba ulimi oluxubile. Izilimi ezixubile, ngokungafani nesifanakalo, zichaza isiko labantu. Namuhla inqwaba yezilimi eziyisifanakalo nezilimi ezixubile—ezisekelwe esiNgisini, isiFulentshi, isiPutukezi, isiSwahili nezinye izilimi—ziyakhulunywa emhlabeni. Ezinye ziye zaze zaba yizilimi ezidumile ezweni, njengesiTok Pisin ePapua New Guinea nesiBislama eVanuatu.
Eminye imizila ethuthukisa ukuxhumana, izilimi eziyinhloko. Ulimi oluyinhloko ulimi oluvamile olusetshenziswa amaqembu anezilimi ezingafani. Ngokwesibonelo, eCentral African Republic, abantu abakhuluma izilimi ezihlukahlukene bangaxhumana ngokukhuluma iSango. IsiNgisi nesiFulentshi ziphakathi kwezilimi ezihamba phambili ezisetshenziswa njengezilimi eziyinhloko. Izilimi eziyisifanakalo zibhekwa njengezilimi eziyinhloko futhi nezilimi ezixubile nazo zingaba yizo.
Ezifundeni zezwe ezihlukene kungase kusetshenziswe izindlela ezihlukahlukene zolimi olukhulunywa ezweni, ezibizwa ngokuthi izilimi zezigodi. Lapho isifunda siqhelile, kulapho umehluko ungase ube mkhulu. Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, ezinye izilimi zezigodi ziyahluka kakhulu olimini lwendawo ezisuselwa kulo kangangokuthi ziba olunye ulimi. Kwezinye izimo akulula ngezazi zezilimi ukuhlukanisa phakathi kolimi nolimi lwesigodi. Kanti, njengoba ulimi luhlale lushintsha, ngezinye izikhathi izilimi zezigodi ziyaphela zingabe zisasetshenziswa, futhi zinyamalale nengxenye ethile yomlando.
Ulimi luyisipho saphezulu. (Eksodusi 4:11) Inqubo ethakazelisayo yokushintsha kolimi ibonisa ukuthi lesi sipho sikwazi kangakanani ukuvumelana nezimo. Singafunda futhi olimini ukuthi alikho iqembu elithile labantu elikhulu kunelinye, ngoba ayikho into okuthiwa ulimi oluphansi. Njengezinye izipho zaphezulu, ulimi lutholakala ngokulinganayo kubo bonke abantu, kungakhathaliseki isiko labo noma indawo abahlala kuyo. Kusukela ekuqaleni kwazo, izilimi zabo bonke abantu beziphelele ngokwanele ukuze zifeze izinjongo zazo. Ngalunye lwazo lufanelwe inhlonipho, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi lusetshenziswa abantu abangaki.
Izici Ezingokomlando Nezingokwenhlalo
Isimo sabantu sokuthanda ukuba nobudlelwano sibonakala olimini. Ngakho-ke, lapho kunokuxhumana phakathi kwamasiko—okuyinto evamile ukwenzeka—kudlula izizukulwane ngezizukulwane ulimi lwalabo bantu lunobufakazi bokuxhumana okunjalo.
Ngokwesibonelo, ngamagama aso amaningi asuka kuyisi-Arabhu, iSpanishi esibhekwa njengohlelo lwesiLatini olulungisiwe, sinomlando wokunqoba kwamaSulumane indawo yaseSpain ngekhulu lesi-8. KuyiSpanishi kunethonya lesiGreki, isiFulentshi, isiNgisi nezinye izilimi. Ngaphezu kwalokho, kuyiSpanishi esikhulunywa eMelika, kunemikhondo yezakhamuzi zasendulo zaleli zwekazi. Ngokwesibonelo, iSpanishi salapho sinamagama amaningi avela olimini lwesiNahuatl lwase-Aztec Central America.
Njengoba nje ulimi lomdabu luhlukanisa abantu besizwe esithile ngisho nenkolo, ukusetshenziswa kolimi kungahlukanisa abantu beqembu, njengomkhakha othile kwezemfundo, umsebenzi abawenzayo, amasiko nemidlalo, ngisho namaqembu ezigebengu. Uhlu alupheli. Izazi zolimi zibiza lokhu kuhlukahlukana ngokuthi i-jargon noma i-slang noma ngezinye izikhathi ulimi lwesigodi.
Kodwa, lapho kunobutha phakathi kwezizwe namaqembu ezinhlanga noma amasiko athile, ulimi alube lusaba umzila. Lungase lube umgoqo owenezela ekuhlukaneni kwabantu.
Ikusasa Lezilimi
Ukuxhumana kuyindaba enzima. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, ukuthambekela kwanamuhla kuwukuqeda imigoqo ezilimini, ikakhulukazi ngenxa yemithombo yezindaba. Ngokwe-Encyclopædia Britannica, isiNgisi manje sesikhulunywa njengolimi lokuqala noma lwesibili ngumuntu oyedwa kwabayisikhombisa. Ngakho-ke, siwulimi oluyinhloko olusetshenziswa kakhulu kunazo zonke emhlabeni. Ukulusebenzisa kwabantu kuye kwandisa ukuxhumana nokwenanana ngokwaziswa okuwusizo.
Ngakolunye uhlangothi, imigoqo yolimi iye yabangela ukwehlukana, inzondo nempi. I-World Book Encyclopedia ithi: “Ukube bonke abantu bebekhuluma ulimi olulodwa, . . . ukukhathalela komusa bekuyochuma phakathi kwamazwe.” Yebo, ukukhathalela komusa okunjalo kuyodinga ushintsho olukhulu kunokumane kusetshenziswe ulimi olulodwa. UMdali wolimi ohlakaniphile kuphela ongenza ukuba bonke abantu bakhulume ulimi olulodwa.
IBhayibheli, umzila kaNkulunkulu oyinhloko wokuxhumana nabantu, libonisa ngokucacile ukuthi ngokushesha uNkulunkulu uzoqeda lesi simiso sezinto esibi esikhona futhi esikhundleni saso alethe ukubusa kukahulumeni wasezulwini—uMbuso wakhe. (Daniyeli 2:44) Lowo hulumeni uyohlanganisa sonke isintu esimisweni sezinto esisha esinokuthula nesinokulunga lapha emhlabeni.—Mathewu 6:9, 10; 2 Petru 3:10-13.
Ngisho namanje, ulimi oluhlanzekile olungokomoya—iqiniso ngoJehova uNkulunkulu nezinjongo zakhe—luhlanganisa izigidi zabantu bazo zonke izilimi, izizwe nezinkolo ababekuzo ngaphambili. (Zefaniya 3:9) Ngakho-ke, kubonakala kunengqondo ukuthi emhlabeni wakhe omusha, uNkulunkulu uyoqhubeka ehlanganisa isintu ngokunikeza bonke abantu ulimi olulodwa, elungisa lokho akwenza eBabele.
[Ibhokisi ekhasini 12]
Umsuka Wezilimi
UMdali ohlakaniphe kakhulu, uJehova uNkulunkulu, uye wasebenzisa ulimi nasezulwini endaweni yezingelosi. (Jobe 1:6-12; 1 Korinte 13:1) Lapho edala abantu, wafaka kubo uhlelo lolwazi lwamagama kanye nekhono lokulwandisa. Abukho ubufakazi bokuthi kwakunolimi lwabantu basendulo ababengundaza noma begwavuma. Ngokuphambene, cabangela lokho i-Encyclopædia Britannica ekuchazayo ngesiSumerian, ulimi oludala kunazo zonke ezibhalwayo: “Isenzo sesiSumerian, kanye . . . neziqalo, iziqu nezijobelelo zaso ezihlukahlukene, kunikeza umbono oyinkimbinkimbi kakhulu.”
Cishe ngekhulu lama-20 B.C.E., ngokuphambene nomyalo kaNkulunkulu wokusakazeka futhi ‘bagcwalise umhlaba,’ abantu bazama ukulawula wonke umphakathi emaThafeni aseShineyari, eMesopotamiya, futhi baqala ukwakha uMbhoshongo wenkolo waseBabele. Ukuhlukana kolimi kwaqala lapho uNkulunkulu esanganisa ulimi lwabo olulodwa, eshafisa amacebo abo ayingozi nabuhlungu.—Genesise 1:28; 11:1-9.
IBhayibheli alisho ukuthi zonke izilimi zasuka kulolo lokuqala. EShineyari, uNkulunkulu wafaka izinhlu zolwazi lolimi nezindlela zokucabanga eziningi ezintsha, okwabangela izilimi ezihlukahlukene. Ngakho-ke, imizamo yokuthungatha umkhondo wolimi lokuqala okwaqala kulo zonke ezinye uye waba yize.
[Isithombe ekhasini 12]
EBabele, uNkulunkulu wasanganisa izilimi zabantu abahlubukayo