There was a fascinating AP article in our local paper today about the impending extinction of many of the world's current languages. Of the world's 6,800 languages, it says, half to 90% could be extinct by the end of the century!
It explains that one reason is that half of all existing languages are spoken by fewer than 2,500 people, and that languages need at least 100,000 speakers to pass from generation to generation. They go on to mention some obscure tongues from Siberia (Udihe, 100 speakers), Amazon jungle (Arikapu, 6 speakers), and Alaska (Eyad, 1 speaker); and, also, that such well-known languages as Navajo, Maori, and Cornish are teetering on the brink.
Ironically, in Cornish one of their proudest sayings is "Ne na vyn cows Sawsnak" (I will not speak English).
In 1974, Manx, a language from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea disappeared with the death of its last speaker, according to the story. (If anyone has more background to offer about this isolated tongue from the British Isles I'd be intrigued to hear more, please!) And, it also says, that in 1992 a Turkish farmer's passing marked the end of Ubykh, a language from the Caucasus region with the most consonants on record, 81.
And it says that eight countries account for more than half of all the languages: (in order) Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Nigeria, India, Mexico, Cameroon, Australia, and Brazil.
They conclude by saying that it's not that the extinction of languages is anything new, thousands have already disappeared, but that "the distinguishing thing is it's happening at such an alarming rate right now." This from Megan Crowhurst, chairwoman of The Linguistic Society of America's (so why isn't she on this Board?
) endangered languages committee.
The article cites war, genocide, natural disasters, adoption of more dominant languages, and government bans as all contributing to these languages' demise. Discussion?........
