Absolutist: Why Several Languages Die Out

Second languages are vital. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have the ability to speak ten out of the near seven thousand languages that are spoken in the world today? It is certainly evident that it would be pretty astonishing but also undoubtedly complex and mind-boggling. From Afrikaans and French, to German and Swahili, foreign languages are responsible for one thing; enabling easy communication and the ability to interact with others in whatever language you may speak. In today’s society, approximately one fifth of the global population speaks English. So, learning another language is inevitably crucial for education, work and travel. It is also important for making real connections with others, broadening your horizons and can even give you an even more in-depth understanding of your own native language. But what advantages do foreign languages have?

Ken Wiwa presents several ideas pertaining to language and culture within his essay, Get Beyond Babel. Wiwa explains that every language has a chance of dying out over time. For any language to survive through years of societal changes, it must be adapted so it can be used to embrace other cultures, new technology and new perspectives. Wiwa presents the concept that language is the same as culture. I do not agree with this concept because I believe that culture is carried by the people, not by the language.

One important thing I learned is that the world is expected to lose half of its languages in the next 100 years. This is particularly alarming because of the importance of biodiversity. The article refers to the fact that people speaking a certain language can hold certain knowledge that other people speaking a different

According to Paterson and Rentein ancient languages to mankind as it is the way history is trying to communicate with the future; also it grants us with the source of the origins from where languages embark on. There are various research carried out every year for the extinction of different languages from different part of the world which usually giving us a big number of extinct languages. The effect of this can be clearly seen on the academic clique which is a major topic of argument these days, but on the other hand some argues that it’s a natural thing is happening as we move forward in life. All individual are known for the language he or she speaks that represents individual from which region, which state or which country he belongs to therefore loss of a language will lead to identity crisis of the speaker. With the loss of academic knowledge there is also a loss of culture; different communities have different culture which is passed to the next generation majorly through their native languages so with the loss of languages there is loss of history, traditional songs and poetry. All kind of forms which are reliant on the language

In today’s society, there is an abundant amount of languages that we know. The most common languages are the ones we hear people speaking more often; moreover, English, Spanish, French, German, ect. Although, there are several other languages that most people do not know, for example, according to The Linguist List, a list that provides information about linguistic issues and other information, in the database there are at least 573 dead languages. Dead languages are described as a language that is no longer being used or spoken. The most common dead language that we know is Latin, except people are still familiar with the language because of the root base word we still study today for the English language. Languages like Arin, Basay, Geez, Norn, and several more, are the uncommon dead languages that a vast majority of people do not know. 2008 documentary The Linguist, directed by Jeremy Newberger, Seth Kramer, and Daniel A. Mille, is a preview of a few people traveling the world exposing dead languages and speaks why they are now dead. In one case, they talked about how kids were forced to not speak their language which gradually led it to become a deal language. Because of people not being able to live their heritage and be their true selves, that is what sparked my interest to study more about dead languages. I feel people should be able to express themselves and have the option to do and be who they want. In our class we watched The Linguist documentary that showed people finding and interpreting dead languages and showing the importance of what happens when a language dies. We see the joy in people when they find out someone cares about their language, and how to help make it become alive again.

Obviously, this topic is very detailed, and the article delved deeply into the subject. But, what I want to highlight is that, at least as far as the field of linguistics is concerned, that an approach to preserving language in such a way that each successive generation feels connected to their heritage and community is vital. However, this approach to language preservation and, by extension, the human rights issues connected to the losses does not eliminate a need for a common language in the wider international community.

The documentary film, “The Linguists” revolves around the concept of language death, specifically, in four places: Siberia, India, Arizona and Bolivia. Personally, the most significant forgotten languages were in Siberia (due to my Russian heritage) and Arizona (due to close place of birth, Los Angeles).

Among the more than five thousand known languages of the world, circumstances like colonization are putting hundreds of languages in danger of becoming dead. This means that these languages are no longer have a prominent group of speakers (Wurm 1). There are also many endangered languages known that are characterized by still having speaker, but these languages are no longer being taught as a mother-tongue to children (Krauss 1). In his argument, Michael Krauss stresses an urgency to either help take these languages out of the danger zone or record them, but Peter Ladefoged argues that not all languages have to be preserved as Krauss and his associates claim (810). Here I will discuss my own views on whether or not languages

In the article “What the World Will Speak in 2115,” by John H. McWhorter, he informs us of the possibility that in the future there will be fewer languages spoken in the world and the languages that remain will be in a simplified form. We also learn how the English language has changed from its original form and spread around the globe and how other languages are in danger of becoming extinct. Perhaps communication among different nationalities will improve as languages simplify or through the continual spread of the English language but will it be at the expense of our native languages.

Ehnologue organization estimates that there are about 6,900 languages in the world today. However, most languages have fewer than 10,000 speakers and many are at risk of disappearing altogether. Languages death is increasingly common in the contemporary world. According to some estimate, 60 percent of the world’s languages are currently at risk. For example, 300 languages were spoken in the United States at the time of Columbus, there are now just 175. Also, ninety percent of Australia’s 250 Aboriginal languages are near extinction. With almost 7,000 languages in the world today and only 200 countries, the vast majority of the world’s language communities do not have the protection of a national government. In the class we discussed about Latin as one of the example of a dead language. In fact, Latin did not really die. It evolved over a period of centuries into French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, and other modern-day Romance languages. In contrast, Manx, a Celtic language indigenous to the Isle of Man, a small island midway between Ireland and Great Britain. The language died with Ned Madrell, its last speaker, in 1974. Manx didn’t just change over time; it simply ceased to be spoken. In some case, languages die because the people who speak them perish as the result of war or disease. More commonly these days, they die because their speakers gradually use them less and less in favor

Each year abundance languages vanished, in order to some groups reckon that it is not crucial. They consider the human speech as a shackle, in this manner life spare would be effortless in lack of it. On the other side of the controversy, the linguistic communication is attended as a vital part of the society. This essay is aimed at seeking the pro and con of both discussions, although I would prefer to go with the latter notion.

Languages may refer to the communication between individuals, but it also reveals the individuality of different geographic locations, the uniqueness of different cultures, and the history of different people. It contributes to the image of an ideal world, but the current situation diminishes the diversity of the people, thus moves them away from their ideal society: 97% of the world’s people speak 4% of the world’s languages while 96% of the world languages are spoken by 3% of the world’s people (Turin). Furthermore, one language dies every 14 days and by the end of the next century, nearly half of approximately 7,000 languages spoken on Earth today will disappear as many communities will abandon native languages in favor of dominating languages such as English, Mandarin, or Spanish (Rymer). Most endangered

As we move deeper through the 21st century native languages are becoming more extinct. An endangered language is one that is likely to become extinct in the near future. Many languages are going out of practice and being replaced by the others that are more used and dominant in their particular region or nation, such as English in the U.S. or Spanish in Mexico. Unless the current language trends that we are using now are reversed, the now endangered languages will most likely to become extinct within the next century. Many of these languages are no longer being taught to children or to the new speakers; it is certain that these languages will become extinct when the last fluent speaker dies. Dozens of languages today have only one native speaker still living, and that person 's death will mean the extinction of the language: meaning that no one will speak or know the language at all.

Languages spoken by the people of the Andaman Islands, who were seriously affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and earthquake, Malol and Papua New Guinea (earthquake) were severely endangered.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of people who believe that all languages should die eventually. Their arguments are solid, giving good explanations for why they believe that we, as humans, should let them die. For example, Kenan Malik, a writer, wrote his own opinion piece about why he thinks we should let the languages die. Malik says that the reason people feel as though we should save a language is because they think that a language is a window into a people’s culture. He then goes on to say that no culture or language has a right to exist; so why should we try to force it to continue on? Especially if the language is dying out naturally, as most