UV students delve into knowledge of indigenous languages ​​– Universe – UV News System

• Students from the Faculty of Anthropology learn Totonac in an inter-semester course, held at the Humanities Unit
• The languages ​​of indigenous peoples represent unique visions of their environment, they shared.

Carlos Hugo Hermida Rosales

Photos: Omar Portilla Palacios

06/28/2024, Xalapa, Ver.- Students from the Faculty of Anthropology of the Universidad Veracruzana (UV) agreed that this institution must safeguard indigenous languages ​​and work for their recognition and that of the worldview integrated into them.

Students learn Totonaco in an intersemester course that takes place in the Humanities Unit, taught by José Santiago Francisco, a graduate of the UV’s Doctorate in Educational Research.

The professor mentioned that, through this training, he shows the way of perceiving the world of the speakers of the Totonac language and their particular way of conceiving themselves as human beings.

“Their worldview is very rich, and even numbers have a deep cultural value,” he asserted.

Jose Santiago Francisco

The professor commented that the national education system usually gives priority to the teaching of languages ​​such as English, French and German, as they consider it necessary for students to learn them for their sense of usefulness.

“Schools should not behave as institutions that murder native languages, because they not only serve to communicate, since they represent a unique vision of the environment,” he said.

Alejandra Nieto Rincon

Alejandra Nieto Rincón, one of the participants in the course, shared that although her short and medium-term projects do not contemplate the use of native languages, she did not want to miss the opportunity to learn the basics of Totonaco, since it could be useful in some way. moment.

José Leopoldo Acosta Aguilar assured that he is interested in learning about native languages ​​of Mexico and their context. “This training is a great contribution to my education, because it gives me valuable information about the Totonac culture,” he stated.

Jose Leopoldo Acosta Aguilar

For Célida Paola Buenrostro Grajeda, the worldview of the Totonac people is enriching, in addition to the fact that they have a unique way of perceiving the environment and the phenomena that occur on this planet.

Magdalena Hernández Martínez, who speaks the Tenek language, said that UV should promote the learning of native languages ​​among her community, as this would help them understand the origin of many words that are used daily.