Introduction

Example of context: linguists have always faced the conundrum of whether to invest
resources in dying languages that may not be of need in todays world
Minority languages: have only a few several thousand speakers, or even fewer
Yes, although the cost of doing so may yield little benefit for its speakers who are
burdened with the task of learning another language to communicate with others,
because these languages represent cultures which are inherently valuable as a part of
mankinds social memory

It is costly to preserve them, and costs may outweigh benefits

Linguists and ethnographers must document their grammar and vocabulary for them to
be taught academically and preserved systematically for posterity
Many speakers of minority languages are in geographically-inaccessible places
Papua New Guinea: home to over 800 languages, but much of the country is
dense and inaccessible jungle
Expensive to provide teaching resources for languages and maintain the use of them
such as through TV broadcasting
The Welsh government spends billions a year on Welsh TV broadcasting,
providing bilingual road signs, and providing Welsh translations for members of
the public
Thus it may be argued that there is little value especially when the benefits accrue only
to a minority, such as Welsh speakers in Wales

Speakers of minority languages would continue to be burdened by the need to learn another
language
Only hebrew has become a widely spoken language in Israel
Not everyone can be effectively multilingual
Singapore: students and parents debate with leaders over the need to learn 2
languages
Speakers have to learn another language to communicate with non-speakers especially
in an age of globalisation where many languages besides minority ones are proliferating
in other communities

There is value
They are spoken by cultures which are slowly disappearing, and language encapsulates
their ways of life in many ways
The Inuit have multiple words for different types of snow while English does not,
given the polar nature of the landscape they inhabit
Languages thus represent the many cultures and lifestyles making up humanity

Some have important historical value as a link to the past

The Manchurian language spoken by the Manchus who ruled China from 1644 to 1911
now has fewer than 50 speakers
Manchurian is essential to understanding court documents, thus there is value in
preserving it
Value of preserving it can be increased
Given that once it goes extinct, it is difficult, if not impossible, to revive it into common
use again, making the loss of a language even greater

Conclusion
There is value as languages chart the deveopment of human society across the world
Costs of preserving them may be mitigated especially if the aim is not to make them
widely spoken, but to preserve it among a small community, which reduces financial
costs
Financial costs may not outweigh the inherent value of preserving a part of human
civilisations, which is priceless