Discussions Post #9

[Hannah Esther Lee]

Languages become extinct for many reasons, but the most usual reasons include dropping the usage of native languages, low population, or historical contributions. As the world develops and globalization, political repression, colonialism, technological development, and immigration happen, people tend to drop their native language, leading to a distinction. There could be external or internal factors that affect the spoken language. By connecting the family tree and seeing the similarities between the languages and analyzing the structure and vocabulary, linguists can help preserve a language. Linguists can also seek external help by gaining knowledge of historical backgrounds. Like so, ‘dead’ language can be brought back to life if there are enough written documentations, histories, or stories that connect the vocabulary terms, sounds, and grammars. Linguists can also look at the family trees of similar languages or languages that the distinct language is rooted from. However, this would be difficult if there isn’t enough documentation or those who have enough knowledge about the language aren’t present.