ESLB3053

LANGUAGE AND POWER

LANGUAGE DEATH AND ENDANGERED LANGUAGES

CONTENT

1. Introduction
2. Dead language
3. Endangered languages
4. Factors for the loss of language
5. Effects of language death
6. Language preservation
7. Steps need to be taken to prevent languages from dying
8. Conclusion

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1. Introduction

• There are about six to seven thousand languages in the world today and it is predicted that at the end
of 21st century, almost half of these languages would have perished.
• According to Crystal (2000), it is estimated that every two weeks a language will die off somewhere in
this world.
• It is calculated that about (96%) of the world’s languages are spoken by about or only (4%) of the
globe’s population.
• There are 5 dominating languages in the world which are English, Hindi, Mandarin, Spanish and
Russian.
• According to Miroslav (2010),
i. 51 languages (now 50) around the world have only one speaker left
a. 8 languages (now 7) in the USA
b. 3 languages in South America
c. 3 languages in Africa
d. 6 languages in Asia
e. 28 languages in Australia
f. 3 languages in the pacific ocean islands

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 a. Nearly almost 500 b. 1,500 languages are
languages have less than spoken by less than 1,000
100 speakers. speakers.

c. 3,000 or so languages d. 500 languages have no

have up to 10,000 more than 100,000
speakers. speakers.

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2. Dead Language

• A dead language is a language which is no longer spoken by anyone as their main language
or a language, such as Latin, that is no longer learned as a native language by a speech
community.
• When the last speaker of a language dies, the language too will die.
• Sometimes, it is not necessary to wait for the last speaker to die to consider the language as
dead because the last speaker has no one to speak fluently with or frequently. So, the
language will die.
• Example, a Turkisih Linguist when to a village to record TevficEsenc who is believed to be
the last speaker of Ubykh Language. He couldn’t converse with his own children because
they have become Turkish. With his death in 1992, Ubykh too joined the ever increasing
number of extinct languages.
• For instance, Welsh language which was dead some years back, if not for the sake of
revitalization it has become extinct and followed the other dead languages.

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 3. Endangered Languages

• Languages that have fewer or smaller number of speakers are considered as endangered.
• A simple reason why a language becomes an endangered language is because the
(i) younger ones are not using their local languages / native language to communicate,
(ii) to conduct business etc and they
(iii) find it more easier to speak in other languages such as English, Spanish, etc.

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• Languages are classified or level according to the following:
1. Languages that safe or viable – these languages that are supported and used as an
official by governments and have large number of speakers, at least 100,000 speakers or
so, then it is considered as safe.
2. Endangered languages – languages that learn by children but will cease to be learned in
near future by children, if the present condition persists.
3. Moribund languages – these are terminal languages that have ceased to be learned by
children but spoken by elders. Therefore, almost doomed or near extinction.
4. Dead / Extinct languages – no longer spoken by any one although they are written
materials or recordings.

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Examples of endangered languages around the world

• Baga koga – Extinct Langauge

• (origin is Coastal Guinea)
• Paipai – 300 speakers (origin Mexico)
• Veddah – 300 speakers (origin Sri Lanka)
• Sammilule – 2000 speakers The last Tasmanian Aborigine
• Tobian – 22 speakers Trugernanner (ca. 1812–May 8, 1876)
“Before she was eighteen, her mother had been killed by
whalers, her first fiancé had died while saving her from
(origin Southwest Islands of Palau) Maggerleede,
abduction, and in 1828, her two sisters, Lowhenunhue and
had been abducted and taken to Kangaroo Island,
off South Australia and sold as slaves.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trugernanner

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How does one become the last speaker of the language ?

• Globalization
- Adoption of similar cultural practices across the globe.

• Urbanization
- They don’t prefer to talk mother tongue, but they very likely to
speak trade language.

• Death of native speakers

- Younger generation no longer use the language.

• Insufficient of formal proof

- No proper documentation is made to preserve the language.

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4. Factors for the loss of language / causes of language death

1. Language shift – when 2. Natural disasters –

a language shift towards a such as volcanic eruption,
stronger language , hurricane, tsunami,
globalization. earthquake, disease.

3. Human disasters – 4. Political reasons –

invasion, genocide, colonization, education,
warfare. migration.

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5. Effects of language death

• Loss of diversity
- We need language diversity in order to have a successful humanity.
- Reducing language diversity decreases the power of an individual
and knowledge.

• The contribution to human knowledge is loss

- Human languages symbolizes the achievement of human
intelligence.
- Also symbolises the pride of a particular community / to show / to signify the identity of a
particular community.

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• Loss of identity
- Identity means physical appearance, personal beliefs, custom and language of a culture.
- It has a connection with history, and language death impacts and affects when it occurs.

• Loss of a culture and wealth

- culture's wealth is reduced when language death occurs.

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6. Language Preservation

• Davis (2003) in his “Ted Talk” mentioned that language is not only exist to express
vocabularies and grammatical rules rather it is what made humans who they are.
• Every language has its own unique local knowledge of natural system and cultures in the
region or where it is spoken.
• Therefore, in order to understand human history, we need languages as a source of
evidence.
• The other reason for their death was not recorded or documented; both the languages and
the knowledge.
• Tsunoda (2012) suggested that languages need to be documented because once a
language is lost there would be no opportunity to record it.
• The procedures for documenting a language are:

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 a) Accuracy – b) Comprehensiveness –
documentation must be as the documentation must be
reliable as possible. complete as possible.

Use the holistic approach –

Should provide a true document a language as a
presentation of the language whole, including its socio –
cultural background

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7. Steps need to be taken to prevent languages from dying

1. To stabilizing human population growth.

2. To improve the living standard of the rural areas.
3. To improve the living standard of poor people both in developing and developed countries.
4. By empowering the local people and not interfering with their way of life and how they
govern themselves.
5. If the political domination by political elites is lifted, the reasons for giving up a language are
also weakened.

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8. Conclusion

• To recognize and appreciate other people’s communication systems

• Language can be reflection of the past
• Cultures and identities are disappearing
• Smaller communities will feel isolated from the world.
• To sustain our mother tongue.
• Linguists have a role to play
– Describing, documenting, creating language resources
– Need for linguistics departments to make language rescue an intrinsic part of training of
students
• Time is running out

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