Language and Its Cultural Future

In this chapter, following contemporary discussions on the role of language in society, we analyze and propose a guide to four dimensions of language. The first two refer to its historical aspect: on the one hand, language—each language—contains within itself a rich cultural and historical tradition that provides identity, but also language is a living phenomenon, continuously transforming itself; its evolution is a sign of the anthropological and cultural processes that human beings experience. The other two dimensions refer to the use and ethics of language. Under these dimensions, our proposal is aimed at promoting a social sensitivity that cares about and takes care of the deep meaning and purpose of language.