Disappearing tongues: the endangered language crisis | Language | The Guardian
The long read: Linguistic diversity on Earth is far more profound and fundamental than previously imagined. But it’s also crumbling fast
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The Importance of Linguistic Diversity and the Decline of Endangered Languages
- Linguistics recognizes that all languages are equal and no language is superior to any other.
- Language is a universal and democratic aspect of human society that represents deep levels of diversity.
- The world's 7,000 languages offer unique ways of seeing, understanding, and living.
- Perceptions of linguistic superiority or inferiority are based on power, class, or status, not the languages themselves.
- Half of all languages are spoken by communities of 10,000 or fewer, with some having as few as 10 speakers.
- Even languages with hundreds of thousands or a few million speakers can be considered vulnerable.
- Intergenerational transmission is crucial for the survival of small languages, not just sheer speaker numbers.
- Colonial and national languages have been replacing indigenous languages, leading to the decline of linguistic diversity.
The Importance of Linguistic Diversity
- Linguistic diversity allows us to learn about the nature and possibilities of human communication.
- Little-documented languages often have unique features that teach us about different sentence structures and tones.
- Languages carry cultural elements such as poetry, literature, and oral histories that may never be translated into other languages.
- Mother-tongue education and language maintenance are crucial for physical and mental well-being, especially for marginalized Indigenous and minority communities.
- Linguistic diversity is strongest in remote regions traditionally beyond the reach of empires and nation states.
- However, these regions are now under pressure as a few dominant languages, often referred to as "killer languages," continue to spread through political, economic, and cultural conquest.
- Genocide, expulsion, and prejudice have significantly altered the linguistic landscape in anglophone settler societies like the US and Canada.
- Many Aboriginal languages in Australia have become extinct or are only spoken by a small number of elderly speakers.
The Global Impact of Dominant Languages and the Importance of Multilingualism
- Smaller languages and nonstandard varieties are losing ground in various spheres, including private spaces and homes.
- English, fueled by business, pop culture, and the internet, has become the dominant language globally, leading to the abandonment of native languages and cultural traditions.
- English is seen as a linguistic privilege, with over half a billion native speakers and billions more who know it as a second language.
- Monolingualism, particularly in anglophone Americans, hinders the recognition of the importance of other languages.
- A multilingual childhood offers cognitive advantages and a broader understanding of the world.
- Learning other languages or at least learning about them can help combat monolingualism.
- Linguists have the ability to analyze and appreciate the intricate structures and patterns of unfamiliar languages.
The Importance of Language Documentation and Preservation
- The human language tract is approximately five or six inches long, from the glottis to the lips.
- Language evolved from a space for eating and breathing to specific places of articulation.
- Language can be expressed through various means, including speech, sign language, whistled languages, and drum languages.
- Linguists have a responsibility to document and describe languages before they disappear.
- The movement to preserve the world's languages gained momentum in the 1990s.
- Language documentation focuses on recording and preserving vanishing linguistic heritage.
- Many linguists have historically prioritized studying language as a whole, rather than individual languages.
- Linguistic diversity on Earth is more profound and fundamental than previously thought.
- Every language should have a substantial dictionary, grammatical description, and representative corpus of recorded texts.
- Accessible and archived materials are crucial for the preservation of languages.
- Speakers of larger languages often take resources for granted, while smaller languages face challenges in documentation and preservation.
The Fight to Preserve Endangered Mother Tongues
- Indigenous scholars emphasize that language reclamation is about liberation and recovery from historical trauma.
- Endangered language revitalization is a fight on the side of their speakers and signers.
- Communities decide whether and how to continue using their languages.
- Dominant languages offer access to resources, which can be enticing for some.
- Abandoning a smaller mother tongue can seem logical for work, education, migration, or marriage.
- Language and culture are not always inseparably linked, as group identities can persist without a language.
- Meaningful options for linguistic pasts and futures are important for individuals and communities.
- Maintaining a less widely spoken language does not prevent learning a more widely spoken one.
- Language revitalization movements have grown in the past few decades, providing valuable experience.
- Lack of financial, political, and technical support from majority populations hinders language revitalization efforts.
The Importance of Linguistic Equality and Language Preservation
- All languages are equal and no language is superior to any other.
- Linguistic diversity allows for unique ways of seeing, understanding, and living.
- Perceptions of linguistic superiority or inferiority are based on power, class, or status, not the languages themselves.
- Half of all languages are spoken by communities of 10,000 or fewer, making them vulnerable.
- Intergenerational transmission is crucial for the survival of small languages.
- Colonial and national languages have been replacing indigenous languages, leading to the decline of linguistic diversity.
- English has become the dominant language globally, leading to the abandonment of native languages and cultural traditions.
- A multilingual childhood offers cognitive advantages and a broader understanding of the world.
- Learning other languages or at least learning about them can help combat monolingualism.
- Linguistic diversity allows us to learn about the nature and possibilities of human communication.
- Little-documented languages often have unique features that teach us about different sentence structures and tones.
- Mother-tongue education and language maintenance are crucial for physical and mental well-being.
- Linguistic diversity is strongest in remote regions traditionally beyond the reach of empires and nation states.
- Dominant languages continue to spread through political, economic, and cultural conquest, putting pressure on smaller languages.
- Language reclamation is about liberation and recovery from historical trauma for Indigenous communities.
- Language revitalization movements have grown in the past few decades.