Discussion post #9

[Ethan Han]

A language goes extinct when it is either not spoken or used in a community, or if another language is used within the community thus making the original language useless. When a language dies so does its culture and perspective on the world. It is very difficult to revive a dead language; however, linguists will often work with historians, anthropologists, and other professionals to understand the culture and the people that spoke the dead language. This helps linguists decode dead languages by being able to see what meanings they derived from the world and what was most important to them. However, it is often hard to translate the exact meaning because words often have different definitions. Linguists will also work with languages that are endangered. They will document writings and video and audio recordings for future generations to study the language if there are no more fluent speakers left alive.

[Caro Bisese]

I really appreciate your point about all that is lost when a language dies. I think that language maintenance is so important because language functions as a window into so much more than how a people speak, but how they think, exist, and see the world. The process of language extinction is a sad reality that means a loss of understanding for a group of people.

[Isaac Choe]

Hey Ethan––

I liked your point that when a language dies, so does its culture and perspective on the world. It was quite poignant, in my opinion, and I think it succinctly encapsulates why language preservation is so important. 

[Xiwei Gu]

I agree the most with your statement that when a language dies so does its culture and perspective on the world. It reminds me of the old experience of learning about ancient Chinese. It is a brand new way for us to no matter express or acknowledge social phenomena. I really hope people can save endangered languages so that we can learn more about the world and human beings themsleves.