Discussion post 8

[Jiwon Kang]

Languages become extinct when language isn’t transcribed and recorded. The job of a linguist is to go into language tribes and record/analyze/transcribe any information about the language, in order to preserve it. When linguists don’t record or preserve any information about a language, the language becomes extinct. Because the main languages like French, English, Spanish, etc. are so popular, other small languages become less and less common and become extinct. When a language dies, we not only lose speakers of that language, but we also lose rich information, culture, and memories of that language. Many of these language tribes have very primitive living styles, so they don’t have a way of archiving or preserving any information. They only have memories and information in their brain. That is why linguists are crucial in preserving a language. By immersing themselves in the culture and learning the language first-hand, they can record and archive the language and culture. The documentary talks about the scarcity of linguists and how there are so many languages that are becoming extinct. The documentary also talks about the emic approach of language, where an anthropologist will actually go into a culture with zero knowledge of the language. This is a great way for linguists to preserve a language. Languages become extinct for many reasons including, change in environment and culture, change in people and diversity, and change in culture. Culture and language go hand in hand, and as cultures fade, languages also fade. I believe that dead language can be brought back to life, only if it was archived properly in the past and preserved. Many linguists and anthropologists are currently trying to document linguistic documentary by creating a large collection and record of all the different languages around the world. These records and archives can be digital recordings or writings of the native language speakers.