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Endangered languages
Did you know that almost 50% of the world's languages might be extinct by the end of the century? Some linguists argue that, right now, at least half of the approximate 6,900 languages in the world are endangered. Parents aren't teaching their children the language, or maybe there are only a handful of native speakers left, and they don't use the language in their everyday life anymore. Furthermore, a recent Ethnologue report lists over 500 languages as nearly extinct, with only a few elderly speakers remaining. Some languages vanish without a trace, and to avoid rapid language extinction, linguists are in a rush to archive, document, and in some cases, revitalize languages. And for those who wonder what the loss of a language means, think about how language is a vital part of our history, culture, and identity and what it would mean to lose or endanger such an important element of human tradition. The problem is, documenting a language is a painstaking and difficult process and it can take years. Many linguists are now involved in this effort, but in some cases, the only people who can stop a language from dying are the speakers of that language. For example, Māori is still considered to be an endangered language, but because of the tremendous efforts of the Māori people within the last decade, there are T.V. stations, schools, radio stations, and education programs conducted entirely in Māori. It is now also an official language of New Zealand. For more information on endangered languages, be sure to visit the Endangered Language Fund's website. And for those of us who prefer visuals, there's a compelling film called The Linguists which chronicles two linguists and their mission to document languages across the globe. Tags: endangered languages, Maori, newsletter
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