At present, there are nearly 7,000 languages being spoken worldwide. However, due to ageing populations and globalization's English-only emphasis, a language dies out every 14 days. At this rate, nearly half the world's languages will vanish in 100 years. Very often, these languages are lost without any record: no clues about pronunciation, let alone grammar or vocabulary.
Now, new digital speaking dictionaries may be the key to saving thousands of languages from extinction. The Living Tongues project presented eight new dictionaries at a conference last week.
Margaret Noori is director of the comprehensive studies program and lecturer in the Native American Studies Program at the University of Michigan.
Gregory D. S. Anderson is director of Living Tongues, which unveiled eight dictionaries of languages that are currently facing extinction last week.
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Comments [2]
There are many reasons for the preservation of a people's languages. Here are just a few...
The United Nations' Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Article 8 Section 2. States shall provide effective mechanisms for prevention of, andredress for:
(a) Any action which has the aim or effect of depriving them
of their integrity as distinct peoples, or of their cultural values
or ethnic identities;
Language is part of what makes a group of people distinct. Especially with a language that is embued with the sprituality, science and heritage of a people, language is part of the cultural value and who they are (their identity). Denying this is pretty much denying that these indigenous groups have rights.
also in the Declaration this article
Article 13
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to revitalize, use, develop and
transmit to future generations their histories, languages, oral traditions,
philosophies, writing systems and literatures, and to designate
and retain their own names for communities, places and persons.
I am not sure why there is such animosity towards a people maintaining their languages. This isn't a phenomenon that only effects indigenous people. It has been brought on immigrant communities since before we were a nation. In fact Ben Franklin said this about German immigrants. “This will in a few years become a German colony.” In a letter to a friend in 1751, he wrote, “Instead of learning our language, we must learn theirs, or live as in a foreign country. Already the English begin to quit particular neighborhoods [of Philadelphia] surrounded by Dutch [corruption of Deutsche]..."
It may not be a new argument, but the historical power it has should not be allowed put it in the light of being correct or civil. Language is a right. Somebody might even make the argument that it is enshrined in the Constitution. A stretch? Maybe, but language is afterall speech.
I would much rather see a focus on teaching people to speak articularly in English. Since "globalization" has been forced down our throats, can we at least operate for one common language? Will we soon be pressing more numbers other than "1 for English" and "2 for Spanish"?
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