How do languages go extinct? Respond to the reading, reflecting on what happens when a language dies.
Languages go extinct when the language is no longer spoken or passed down from generation to generation. This mainly happens with languages that are not used in the global marketplace. Languages that are used for trade and commerce are generally the ones that survive. In addition, languages that belong to colonizing countries are also slated to survive because of the power the country insulates.
How can linguists help preserve a language?
Linguists can help preserve language by creating guides to the most endangered languages in the world. These guides must include both written and spoken records of the language to not only pass on grammar, but also pronunciation. I also think that the best way to do this is to make sure that the resources are online because this will assume both proliferation and continuance
Can a language ever be brought back to life?
I believe that a language can be brought back to life. This is seen through initiatives that a community, a group of people, or a government take up. For example, in Bolivia, the bilingual education movement began in many rural communities that were demanding that the government include the indigenous language of the region or village into schooling. At the time, all schoolchildren were required to learn Spanish and English. However, with the new movement, students can now learn in the language of their community if it is not Spanish and, in the cities where only Spanish is spoken, these kids must now learn the indigenous language of their region. This has set about a revival process for indigenous languages.
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