Language go extinct when they are no longer spoken in their own communities and families, especially when parents stop speaking their language to their children. This is usually because a dominant language offers more economic or social opportunities, or because of active suppression from external sources (i.e. the government). As Harrison points out in the interview, around half of the world’s languages could disappear this century. When a language dies, the culture and knowledge associated with the language also dies. Harrison gives an example with the Tofa reindeer herders of Siberia, where one word could include age, sex, castration, and rideability of a reindeer. He also gives an example of how the Musqueam people of British Columbia grouped four fish under one label, which was later revealed as a more genetically accurate categorization than the Western scientists split into "salmon" and "trout.” These aren't just words, they are words tied to millennia of location knowledge and traditions.
Linguists actively try to document and revitalize dying and dead languages. Daigneault's article shows this with many example: Māori language in New Zealand was revitalized with elders teaching toddlers through song and play, Owé speakers launched radio programs in Nigeria, and Cornish speakers use online programs to find each other to practice their language. With extensive community action and immersion programs, dead languages can come back: Cornish was removed from UNESCO's extinct list in 2010, and the Tunica in Louisiana is also being actively reintroduced into homes through children's books and classes
Replies