Learning Journal #7 (SDLC 105)

[Emily Larrabee]

When language dies, Johnson argues that it is not just the alphabet, writing style, and grammar that dies, but it is a vital part of humanity and a vital part of culture that dies with it. I think it makes sense though. If a language is isolated to such a small population, in order for them to survive in the economy of wherever they are, they will have to learn to become bilingual to survive economically. In turn, over time, there will be a decline in the amount of speakers who can also read and write it. With a lack of literature and a lack of recorded history that can be read and interpreted in present day, a language will naturally die off. With that, a culture is lost, which is tragic to the globalizing society in which we live. But it is also somewhat of a natural extension of Darwin's "survival of the fittest" theory because obviously there was a reason that the language did not thrive. I can imagine a world one day where mostly everyone speaks the same language. That is solely because it is easier. Now, that is also a sad society in my mind. I think that one of the most beautiful things about a new culture is rooted in its language. The sing-songy nature of Chinese has always intrigued me and when I go to China, the language somehow makes sense with the architecture, way of life, and style of the country.