105 Learning Journal #7

[Ann Pongsakul]

I think when a language dies out, a culture dies out along with it. In the article it discussed the native american languages that were dying out, there was even one where there is only 5 people left who speak it. So the issue they have is trying to preserve the language, for example establishing online resources where people can come to learn the language. It must be particularly difficult for people whose language is dying out because, it is a part of the culture they identify with, so it would be like losing your identity or a part of it. For me, since I also speak Thai, I know that there are certain feelings that I can express better in Thai than in English and vice versa. So when a language is dying out and there are not a lot of people left who can understand the words you express best in, it could also feel like you have lost a way to connect with others. With the native americans, they have such a rich and long cultural history that it seems if their languages die out all of those memories will too. New generations of children may not be able to connect with their ancestral cultures as previous generations did. It is shame that so many languages are dying out because other languages are taking a more globalized role and have therefore been deemed as more important and useful to learn. I think to everyone their specific language is important to them and having so many different languages and cultures is what makes the world unique. Even though it may be more useful and convenient if everyone started speaking English as their main language, we all lose the uniqueness. With Thai, there a lot of English words that have become common vocabulary that people use nowadays and my mom was explaining to me that modern Thai kids these days are less Thai. I think I am definitely one of them, being more American than Thai, but at the same time having the Thai culture really enriches my experiences and how I see things. If we just had one culture people would see things for the most part the same way and that makes for boring conversations. With all of the unique identities and languages, we have interesting conversations and our lives are richer.