Language Loss - The Problem:

"When languages die, not only words disappear, but ways of seeing and describing reality; we lose valuable knowledge and worlds of thought. "
               - Lucía Iglesias Kuntz, UNESCO

     A language dies somewhere in the world once every two weeks, and many experts estimate that half of the world’s six thousand languages will be extinct by 2100. But why does it matter? Have you ever heard of the Manda language?—most people haven’t. How about Alawa, or Bardi, Kunbarlang or Amurdag. At first glance, it may seem that it would be better for a people group to learn a lingua franca in place of an indigenous language. When a culture has its own language it is easier for that culture, its stories, history, and traditions to survive. If we lose these languages, we also lose indigenous knowledge and information about how the human brain works.

     Around the world, there are five hotspots of language loss: the Northwest Pacific Islands, Oklahoma Southwest, Central South America, North Australia, and Eastern Siberia. These areas have some of the highest amounts of linguistic diversity in the world. In these places, many languages are spoken by less than ten people. In the case of the northwest Pacific Islands, languages developed quite separately from one another. They developed on their own little island with very little outside influence. Oklahoma was an Indian reservation for a very long time. This isolation helped keep the Native American languages alive while others in the country were going extinct at a rapid rate. In central South America, small tribes are scattered throughout the rainforest, but with increased deforestation, many communities lose their homes each year. A similar situation is happening in Northern Australia. The isolated tribes are joining a larger society, but losing their native tongues. Eastern Siberia contains comparatively few languages, only about twenty-five. However, strict Russian-only policies from the Soviet era continue to hurt the languages and their speakers.

     Organizations such as Enduring Voices and the Endangered Language Fund do their best to preserve as many of these languages as possible, but it is a discouraging task, with many languages still going extinct every year. There is hope, however; stories of revitalized or preserved languages such as Hebrew, Gaelic, and countless other native tongues tell us that the cause is not lost. While many languages will disappear, many will be preserved, and with them the valuable knowledge, history, and diversity of culture that enriches humanity.

Sources:

"A Language Dies Every Two Weeks, Researchers Say." World Science. Sep 18 2007.
Associated Press. Accessed 10 Mar 2009.  <http://www.world-science.net/ othernews/070917_languages.htm>

Kuntz, Lucia. "Editorial." The UNESCO Courier 2009-Number 226 Feb 2009. Accessed 10 March 2009.  <http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ ID=44603&URL_DO= DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html>

Lovgren, Stefan. "Languages Racing to Extinction in 5 Global "Hotspots" ." National Geographic News. 18 Sep 2007. Accessed 10 Mar 2009. <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/ne ws/2007/09/070918-languages-extinct.html>

Mufwene, Salikoko. "Languages Don't Kill Languages; Speakers Do." University of Chicago Magazine 93.2Dec 2000. Accessed 10 Mar 2009. <http://magazine.uchicago.edu/0012/features/mufwene.html>

"The Culture of Guam." The Guam Website. Accessed 10 Mar 2009. <http://ns.gov.gu/culture.html>

Sharer, Rolf, Moderator.  European Center for Modern Languages. 17-18 November 2000. Accessed 10 Mar 2009. <http://www.ecml.at/documents/210E_inauguration_final.pdf>

Picture Source:

Publik16. “School attendance and welfare: another blow to human rights”. Flickr.com. 18 January 2008. Accessed 10 Mar 2009.  <http://www.flickr.com/photos/publik16/2823523006>
Used under the creative commons license. To view see below.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en