On the surface, when a language dies, I thought this only meant that no one would communicate in this tongue again. However after reading Kirk Johnson's article, I realized how an entire history can be lost. Not only does the dialect itself get lost, but the events and tales of a society vanquish.
When looking at the Siletz Dee-ni people, I was shocked to learn that there are only five remaining speakers of their language. It is incredibly commendable of Bud Lane for spending seven years of his life to develop an online dictionary with audio entries. Although this action is extremely selfless, I fear that there are hundreds of other languages that have disappeared without much of a fight.
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