Topic > Disappearing Languages: Overview of Factors and Solutions

IndexThe Factors of Language DisappearanceDisappearing Languages: SolutionsConclusionReferencesAbout half of the world's 7,000 languages ​​are predicted to be extinct by the end of the 21st century. Endangered languages, similar to endangered animal species, are indeed in danger of extinction (Ostler, 2000, p.1). According to UNESCO, if a language is marginalized due to the strengthening of the economic and social situation, it leads to extinction, it is no longer taught to children and is no longer used in everyday life. Every time a language dies it is a huge loss, says Ewa Czaykowska-Higgins. “Languages ​​contain a world of knowledge,” he observes. “We lose knowledge and history and we lose our connection to a land (when we lose a language).” While it is true that many languages ​​have died in recent decades, societies are attempting to revitalize those on the brink of extinction. This essay will discuss how sociopolitical factors determine the disappearance of languages ​​and what measures should be taken to preserve this phenomenon. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayThe factors of language disappearance The disappearance of languages ​​does not happen suddenly. Languages ​​are constantly changed by communities, where they are more powerful both economically and politically. Taking into consideration a recent survey, in the past there were hundreds of languages ​​spoken in North America but there are still only 194 of which 33 are spoken by both adults and children; “another 34 are spoken by adults, but by few children; 73 are spoken almost entirely by adults over 50; 49 is spoken by only a few people, mostly over 70; and 5 may have already become extinct” (Ostler, 2000, p.2). Many speak a different language in this scenario – English, Mandarin, Swahili – so English is essential to access employment, education and opportunities. Parents sometimes decide not to educate their children in their heritage language, particularly in immigrant groups, identifying it as a potential obstacle to their fulfillment in life (Go, 2015, p.7). But globalization, Czaykowska-Higgins suggests, has also played a role. He argues that there would be no alternative for some organizations to give up their languages ​​(as cited in Aulakh, 2013, Line, 16). For example, in the 1950s and 1960s, many societies in Soviet Russia were forced to take their children to schools where only Russian was taught, or last August a Chinese linguist was arrested for attempting to open schools where his native language, Uyghur, was taught (Nuwer, 2014, p.7). Keren Rice says languages ​​will disappear forever unless documentation such as sound recording exists. “Language is an oral medium […] it disappears if the direct speakers die and nothing has been done to document it,” he explains. Disappearing Languages: SolutionsTalking about the first supported solution, all over the world, using new techniques have managed to prevent the disappearance of languages. There is a wide range of choices for a society that wishes to maintain or revive its language. without a doubt, one of the most serious narratives is that of modern Hebrew, which after decades of learning and studying only in the old-fashioned written form has been resurrected as a native language. As the national language of Ireland, the Irish received significant official and government aid (Woodbury, n.d., p.2). In New Zealand, Maori society created nurseries staffed by senior staff, run entirely in Maori, known as “kohanga reo,” “language nurseries.” Expanding language nurseries in primary schools and in some schools