Dying Languages Analysis

When someone hears the phrase ancient Empires a few civilizations come to mind such as the Mesopotamian Empire, the Roman Empire and the Aztec Empire but has anyone took into consideration what happened to their language years after they fell? One would assume that these civilizations languages have become dead languages, languages no longer in use. However, this paper will explore whether or not the Náhuatl language, the language of the Aztec people, is considered dead language. Into my research there are a small collective of people who still speak the language. There is a possibility of spreading the language through the education system to try to keep this language from disappearing completely, however do we have the right? Take a moment to imagine aliens have invaded the planet earth and the human race has lost the war. Now that the aliens have taken control of the planet we, the human race, must begin the process of assimilating into their culture. In this process we must give up our languages, cultures and beliefs to please our alien overlords. Anything that is alien has become a symbol of wealth and power. Anything human is considered inferior. As a result the majority of our records have been destroyed, Earth, many of the world’s languages are now considered extinct. Intergalactic researchers have to dig through old archives, interview the remaining human species in an effort to decode the dead languages. However, the remaining few humans believe that their language

The film “The Linguists” follows linguists Gregory Anderson and David Harrison on their journey to learn about and document endangered languages in Bolivia, India, Arizona, and Siberia. Through their quest, they are able to interact with some of the few remaining speakers of languages that are near death and they manage to make an impact on how these communities view their heritage language. Focusing on the moribund languages of Siberia and Arizona, it becomes evident that speakers of the heritage language feel a love for the language and the culture it represents, but went through periods of oppression and embarrassment for being speakers of a minority language that ultimately shaped their attitudes on the language.

The film Linguists is a very unique exploration into the indigenous cultures and the prevalence of their languages. Researchers Gregory and David examine endangered languages in several regions to further understand the different ways the human mind can make sense of the world around it. Linguists covers a diverse range of topics regarding the importance of language to culture, the number of languages that are

After much debate, I have chosen to research the language of death. I came to this conclusion after revisiting a website that Professor Delane provided. Not only was the website interesting, but also relatable. The language of death revolves around the idea there is “an entire language of facial expressions and bodily gestures and vocal utterances that make up our communication about all aspects of the dying process” (Carey, 2016). It is a complex and delicate topic that everyone encounters. I intend to focus my paper on three perspectives.

Children all over the world are taught every day that communication is vital to life in this modern world, but they are being kept from learning any language beyond their native tongue. In Europe alone, there are twenty-four official languages and that count does not include the more regional languages that are dotted across the continent. There are forty-four countries in a land that is of comparable size to the US. Twenty-four languages in forty-four countries, yet each new generation that comes along has been taught that it is fine to seclude themselves to knowing a single language. A child in the US could be able to talk to a child in Finland, Vietnam, or South Africa in a literal moment, but that connection often never happens, because they don’t speak each other’s language. Without the knowledge gained from a well known second language, they will be unable to reach their full potential in expressing themselves in a world where they have the potential to be constantly interacting with people from other countries, cultures, and language backgrounds. “We Americans do a less than adequate job when it comes to teaching our children a foreign language. We start too late and we do too little to convince our children about why learning a foreign language is so important. “ Children need to be exposed to as many forms of the world to expand their minds and allow them to convey what they experience. To not allow this to happen, would be akin to attempting to write a paper with

Archived languages assists linguistics and researchers optimism about that teaching the children in the future indigenous languages. In parts cultures will continue to thrive revitalize endangered and morbid languages. The sad part is every day around the world, one language dies every fourteen days. I do not agree personally with individuals who think we should only speak one language around the world. Differences in culture are what makes this world interesting. As individuals if we were the same life would be uninviting and dull.

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.

Linguists consider language as a living asset. It rises, develops and eventually dies. If we consider the language our grandparents use, we surely remark some differences with our language usage. My grandmother still says “ bencileyin” instead of “ benim gibi” for instance. The improving technology, the intercultural attainability ,etc...bring new words into our vocabulary or change their actual meaning. Although language develops naturally through generations, in history we can see examples of active intervention of authorities in languages. The language reform in Turkey is an example of such an intervention. The fledging Turkish government obviously needed an attempt in the language for several

David Crystal, a modern linguistic anthropologist, expresses the urgency of the matter. According to him, language is a repository of history and culture and every single language contributes to the whole cognitive framework of the human civilization (Ahearn, 2011). This means to say that every single lost language is a lost set of epistemological knowledge, techniques, culture and ways of living. David Harrison would even say that certain knowledge claims can only be found and learned in specific places around the globe that even advances in technology of America has not yet discovered (Harrison, 2012). This is an emergent problem that needs to be ceased and prevented. Linguists and anthropologists move to spread this urgent matter before even more endangered languages become extinct and even

As we increasingly realize that our own self-destruction is inevitable in the destruction of the planet, the insular notion of Western modernity as the height of human progress is \ finally being questioned. However, the resultant paradox is that although we realize the resultant flaws of depending on one form of progress, the only alternatives that we could turn to are dying off of the face of the earth. Thus the global trend of language loss is an issue incredibly worthy of long overdue attention; it may in fact be our last meaningful alternative to rescue the plight of humanity’s survival. As a repository of knowledge, an expression of culture, and a symbolic embodiment of a way of life, the loss of a language speaks for itself.

What is language? The most basic definition is; "the system of words or signs that people use to express thoughts and feelings to each other" (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). While this is true, there’s more to language than just vocal expression, it’s a huge part of culture and our individual identity (Yamamoto, Matthias, and Villalón, 2008). Language, like many animals and trends, can vanish. Around 400 languages have gone extinct over the past century, and it’s been estimated by many linguists that 50% of the world’s surviving languages will be lost by the end of this century (Nuwer, 2014). "A language is considered endangered when its speakers cease to use it, use it in fewer and fewer domains, use fewer of its registers and speaking styles, and/or stop passing it on to the next generation" (UNESCO, 2003). While there is no single factor that determines whether a language is endangered, UNESCO experts identified nine that, when examined together can indicate the vitality of a language (UNESCO, 2003). Although languages going extinct may not seem like a very big deal because more prominent languages can be learned, and while this is true, not only is a huge part of historical traditions, knowledge, culture, and individualism lost, but language also has importance in cognitive science and human intelligence. As a result of these historically, culturally, and scientifically important values rooted in language, initiatives should be taken to save endangered languages.

Introduction There are nearly around 6000 languages spoken in the word. When a language is endangered, there is a huge impact on the culture and community associated with it. Linguistic Anthropologists, researchers have over the years have been trying to study and learn about these endangered languages, and how it benefits them in different ways. On the other hand, the endangered language speakers have a different cultural and tradition view on it, causing tension and between them. While there may different hurdles in between, with cooperation and unity from the linguists and endangered language speakers, a common ground can be found to play a huge role in the preservation of the endangered languages.

Language is acquired through steps, and is a gradual, lengthy process, and one that involves a lot of apparent 'errors '. Those who strive to own cultural and linguistic competence and to live it are on

The importance of languages is a debated subject. Woodfield stands out that no one knows precisely all the riches that are hidden inside every language, and the importance of linguistic diversity (Ibid, para. 5). For example in India, Puerto Rico and Mexico the use of English is related to occupational and educational areas, even when their mother tongue is another language (Fishman, 1998, p.212).

Dialect is the method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way. The importance of languages to a culture is that when a language dies or disappears it removes the wealth of knowledge about history, culture, the natural environment and the human brain says Tom Colls from The Death of Languages. Languages are like the root of every culture. For a language to become nonexistence for a culture begins that culture to a hard rock. Also according to Mr. Colls Did you know about every fourteen days a language becomes extinction. So that brings me to an important question why do languages die? No one knows the real true answer, all we can go on is what we have heard and gather from other people. Languages can also be a human identity. Without identify you are unknown same thing goes for a language. If you don’t know one single language to speak, how will you communicate with others? So what happens when a language is loss will their identify leave with it. As indicated by” www.ethnologue.com “which is a website that gives important information on languages, Dialect danger is a genuine worry to which etymologists and dialect organizers have turned their consideration in the most recent a very long while. For an assortment of reasons, speakers of numerous littler, less prevailing dialects quit utilizing their legacy dialect and start utilizing another. It is trusted that 90% of the around 7,000 dialects