Based upon the readings, it seems as if languages go extinct for two primary reasons. First, as the NYT article notes, many local native languages are under threat because of globalization. The article identifies English, Spanish, and Mandarin as “winners” of this global movement because of their prevalence across knowledge. I would agree with this statement because English is a very prominent language in conducting cross-cultural business. Based on my own experience in business, I’ve observed that firms often seek to hire people who are familiar with either Spanish or Mandarin. As business and communication technology becomes globalized, rather than each culture learning multiple new languages, people come together to seemingly “agree” to learn one dominant language (ex. English). On a smaller scale, it is practical to assume that if smaller, local communities want to trade with larger neighboring powers, they need to learn the languages of the dominant culture. For example, in the case of Malta, a majority of the people communicate in Italian because of the proximity to Sicily, Italy. In addition, English is even considered an official language of the country.
A second reason that languages go extinct is that cultures of people go extinct. For example, this is occurring in the United States with Native American languages. As a result of Native American’s losing dominance over the New World, much of their language has been lost and continues to become critically endangered. The US was once considered the home base of their language, but it has dwindled in correlation with the population of Native Americans. Based on an article I found on National Geographic, Recording a Dying Language (June 2017), 130 of their languages are considered “at risk” and 74 are “critically endangered.”
The extinction of language is very significant because it carries along with it the extinction of a culture. Through language, we are able to learn more about the values, practices, and histories of the community that speaks the language. Languages reflect unique ways of perceiving the world around us and influence the way we interpret reality in the present. For example, many languages refer to colors and emotions in unique ways. The lack, or specificity, of describing these aspects could say a lot about a culture. Another prominent feature that differentiates the English language from many others is the insistent gendering of nouns and adjectives. All of these small subtleties are very important in interpreting the social/cultural nuances that differentiate cultures.
After watching the video and reading the article, I noticed that creating digital dictionaries with auditory clips for endangered languages is an extremely important method for preservation. The video notes that many nearly extinct languages exist only orally. In transcribing the language and providing it to people digitally, linguists create a permanent record and allow more people to have access to the information. I assume it is very unusual and challenging for “dead” languages to be revived, unless there is a specific reason for doing so. Although there have been instances in which a language is revived, I think the majority of languages will remain dormant if they go extinct. As discussed at the beginning of this post, globalization is an extremely prominent, inevitable force blending together cultures of people and their languages.
In relation to my study of Maltese, I think this discussion topic is extremely relevant. Although Maltese is the language that reflects the culture of Malta, English and Italian are prominently spoken throughout the country. Most notably, tourism in Malta has facilitated the use of the two alternative languages, in place of the traditional Malti. I chose to study the Maltese language, Malti, because I think it is extremely unique and reflective of Malta’s complex history and rich cultural tradition. If it were to die off, I think it would be extremely unfortunate because this language, in particular, reflects the development of a very unique society.
Comments
I think it is incredibly impressive that Malta has maintained its own language and that a language unique to these people has survived throughout the thousands of years of multiple political rulings the country has gone through. I think there are countless of examples of cultural groups just like the Maltese people who have unfortunately lost their language to extinction due to the loss of their power over their own community. The Maltese people have plenty to be proud of!