**2. The concept of intangible cultural heritage**

Cultural heritage is defined as all tangible or intangible assets of certain artistic and/or historical importance, belonging either to a private entity (person, company, association, etc.) or to a public entity (municipality, department, region, country, etc.). This group of cultural assets is generally preserved, restored, safeguarded, and shown to the public, either exceptionally (such as the European Heritage Days, which take place on a weekend in September) or regularly (castle, museum, church, etc.), free of charge or for a fee.


In the past, intangible cultural heritage was limited to monuments and objects. Today, however, UNESCO has broadened the sphere of intangible cultural heritage to include living traditions and expressions such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals and festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe, or the knowledge and skills necessary for traditional craftsmanship ([6], p. 1). UNESCO, in 2003, through the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, defined five main domains in which intangible cultural heritage is expressed: oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of intangible cultural heritage; performing arts; social practices, rituals, and festive events; *Perspective Chapter: The Transmission of National Languages and the Conservation... DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109713*

**Figure 1.** *The researcher's place in the field.*

knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe; and skills related to traditional crafts. Therefore, our topic on the transmission of languages and the conservation of intangible heritage is part of UNESCO's concerns on the protection of this heritage.

In fact, the transmission of languages is referred to as a means of preserving cultural heritage, as local languages are losing their value. The transmission from generation to generation is no longer respected. If this continues, entire heritages will disappear from the world and, with it, knowledge and know-how.

Heritage appeals to the idea of an inheritance bequeathed by the generations that preceded us, and which we must pass on intact or increased to future generations, as well as to the need to constitute a heritage for tomorrow ([5], November 9, p. 4).

The use of local languages, especially in Africa, will help in the transmission of customs and traditions and their preservation. This will help in learning ways of doing and thinking that will enable the understanding and practice of languages and the preservation of heritage (**Figure 1**).
