How do languages go extinct? Respond to the readings, and reflect on what happens when a language dies? How can linguists help preserve a language? Can a ‘dead’ language ever be brought back to life? What efforts are currently underway to document linguistic diversity?
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Languages go extinct due to several reasons such as an invasion where the pressure exerted on a community to incorporate with a more powerful or larger group, a natural disaster that eliminates an entire population that speaks that language, or the integration of languages that involve language adopting multiple traits from one and other. One fun fact about the discussion about the extinction of language is that it is often confused with the term "dead language". However, there is a difference. For instance, Latin is considered as a dead language but not extinct since they are still being used and texts that survived. Only thing that qualifies it as dead is the fact that it is no longer spoken. Linguists can help preserve a language by using preventative method through studying the common pattern of extinct languages to keep a language from going completely extinct. Other than that, reviving dead language is rather challenging but possible. By designing websites that focus on the modern usage of that language and promotion on that website as well as the language, a language can have more exposure and attract more users to consider learning it as a second language.
Languages can go extinct along with the civilizations that speak the language. When groups start to dissolve, whether that be a dilution of culture and population, death due to disease, a hostile invasion, or other factors, their culture and language can go extinct as well. Languages can also go extinct when another language grows to be preferred. This can be caused by societal and socioeconomic influences, or even just a preference for a substitute language because it is simpler or more effective. Linguists can preserve languages by document dying languages and making the language accessible for others to learn. Accessibility and adequate documentation can help revive a dead language. It is important that linguists continue identifying dying languages to preserve and document linguistic diversity in isolated cultures.
'Keeping alanguage alive goes far beyond a simple count of how many people can conjugate its verbs'. This is what is mentioned in the text. An extinction of a language is a process more complex than what it seems.
The transition from a spoken to an extinct language occurs when a language undergoes by being directly replaced by a different one. For example, as occurred with the Native American languages that were replaced by English, Spanish... as a result of the colonization.
Researchers and linguists are recording and documenting some of the most endangered languages to ensure that a record remains after the last speaker is long gone. The idea behind this preservation technique is that the language could be reintroduced at some point in the future should a person or group of people be interested in reviving the tongue. Another way of preserving languages is by introducing language revitalization classes to children int school or universities. One example could be this course, in which you are helped to learn a non common language in a self directed manner.
In the reading it is shown an example of a 'coming back to life language'. The threat of oblivion was constant In the 1950s for 'the tiny tribe', which was declared dead by the United States e. The Siletz clawed back —clinging toformer reservation lands and cultural anchors in songs and dances and two decades later, in the mid-1970s, became only the second tribe in the nation to go from non existence to federally recognized status. The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians now have about 4,900 enrolled members. This could be an example of it.
Hi Pablo,
When read your second section, it reminded me of the online game Agar.io, which was a game that was popular when I was in middle or high school. The objective of the game was to survive by consuming cells/dots smaller than your own. The bigger the cell/dot, the more likely you will survive. Similar to the widely spoken/bigger languages such as English, Spanish, Mandarin, etc., many people would want to learn a second language that is widely spoken so that it could be useful to them in the future. However, this common mindset directly increase the chances that smaller languages/dialects go dead or even extinction. Luckily, technology can help preserve these vulnerable languages through recordings, videos, online textbooks, etc.
Half of 7,000 languages could go extinct this century. Languages which are only oral are likely to suffer extinction because they only exist in the mind and are not written down, therefore dying if the elder speakers of the language do not orally transmit them to the younger generation. Small communities also face pressure to give up their language and adopt a commonly spoken language, which can lead to extinction for their native language if the community of speakers educate themselves and their children in a commonly spoken language instead. Languages are incredibly valuable to the speaker communities and even, possibly, to humankind because they contain vast bodies of knowledge yet unexplored. David Harrison posits the idea that local speakers collectively “own” their language, and linguists must acknowledge this fact, doing what they can to help native speakers preserve their language as their intellectual property. Additionally, linguists must build trust with local communities before they begin efforts of preservation, which can be very difficult because of histories of oppression.
Linguists can help preserve a language through documenting that language and forming a common source to access that language, such as the Siletz Dee-ni Talking Dictionary. Yet, locals are sometimes resistant, so linguists must take into account local wants in addition to their mission of preservation. Locals can help preserve it by teaching the language to the younger generation. A “dead” language can be brought back if there are ways to access the language, such as a dictionary. In the case of the Siletz people, there was a time when no one existed who spoke it as a first language. Yet, the language was preserved in native dances and other cultural phenomena, allowing for a linguistic resurrection. Linguists throughout the world, like David Harrison, are identifying various small communities who speak languages nearing extinction and helping document and preserve those languages through audio/written dictionaries in addition to often learning the languages themselves.
Hi Cutty,
I think one of the advantages of technology such as the internet, audio recordings, video recordings, etc allow for the preservation of languages. Without these mediums, language preservation would be harder and subject to higher chances of extinction. When I am learning my target language, Korean, I utilize resources such as Spotify podcasts, Duolingo, and Youtube videos. Without these resources, learning Korean would have to be textbook/pencil style. Textbooks are physical entities that aren't accessible to many people but the internet can.
Languages go extinct when the population that speaks that language reach a small number. A small number that eventually deprive chances that the language is taught to others sufficiently enough to stabilize it. Languages going extinct is somewhat like the online game Agar.io. The main purpose of this game is to consume other dots and consuming them allows yourself to grow bigger in size. The bigger the cell, the better chance that the cell will survive. The top three languages spoken world-wide are English, Spanish, and Mandarin, and many language learners choose a widely spoken language over a language that is almost at extinction. Therefore, like the game of Agar.io, widely spoken languages have the better chance of survive because more people speak it rather than languages that have a few speakers.
Siletz Dee-Ni is an American Indian language that only has about five speakers left according to the article. Native speaker Bud Lane hopes to revive this language to reach a stable population of speakers so that the language does not go extinct. He created resources such as voice recordings and a dictionary to help learners have easy access to learning the language. I believe for Siletz Dee-Ni to maintain a stable population of Siletz speakers, there needs to be a strong interest in learning the language. Those that want to learn languages commonly choose widely spoken languages because they will be better off speaking the language when visiting the country, Since this American Indian language is spoken within the United States, the larger interest would most likely be directed to learn English rather than Siletz Dee-Ni. Therefore, I believe “dead” languages can be revived just like Bud Lane mentions in the article to have a stable population of speakers, but this goal is reached faster if there is an incentive or strong interest in learning the language.