2,500 languages threatened with extinction(news.yahoo.com)
news.yahoo.com
2,500 languages threatened with extinction
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090219/ts_afp/worldlanguagesunesco
4 comments
On one hand, I understand that this is inevitable. No language can be spoken forever, and unless there is a reason to communicate in a language, it will evaporate. This is a natural consequence of increasing communication between nations which are searching for a standard language with which to use.
On the other hand, there is a certain emptiness associated with a language which is no longer spoken, entombed in books. My inner linguist laments the death of these obscure languages and dialects.
I won't grieve too much, for as language evolves, communication between humans is facilitated. As most people will only feel comfortable learning one, maybe two languages, why not learn the ones most spoken? Of course languages are going to "go extinct," that is the nature of their evolution: survival of the fittest.
On the other hand, there is a certain emptiness associated with a language which is no longer spoken, entombed in books. My inner linguist laments the death of these obscure languages and dialects.
I won't grieve too much, for as language evolves, communication between humans is facilitated. As most people will only feel comfortable learning one, maybe two languages, why not learn the ones most spoken? Of course languages are going to "go extinct," that is the nature of their evolution: survival of the fittest.
English really isn't the greatest choice for international language - it is fairly idiomatic - but it wasn't really a "choice" anyway. Still, it appears to be heading for international language status. I read that conferences in Asia, where native speakers of English are less than 1% of participants, often just use English to deal with the fact that there are hundreds of languages represented at the conference.
At the same time, many (admittedly well educated) countries are proving that you can use your native language and English. Based on my most recent trip, I'd say it's easier to get clear directions in English from a bus driver in Stockholm than in San Francisco.
So ironically, the widespread use of English could actually be a boon for obscure languages. You can preserve one for cultural identity, and use English for business. That said, this model is probably not going to help the last 500 speakers in a remote village without running water.