The Rise and Fall of Languages

Language as we all know is a crucial part of our existence as humans. We use it to communicate directly as well as indirectly through means of speaking, writing, signing, etc. Now as language is essential to life and communication would it surprise you that some languages are dying? It is predicted that by the year 2100 that 90% of the World's languages will disappear and cease to exist (BBC, 2016).

Now if this is the case shouldn’t we be informed or even concerned? Sure the news will cover the multiple wars that have been occurring or all of the violence that happens around us, but why do we not ever cover language? One of the many things I found interesting reading through the multiple articles and readings that Linguistic Anthropology provided was that the extinction of languages is quite common in today’s world. Then following this it seems like most of society doesn’t seems to know or quite frankly care that some languages are disappearing.

Language is one of the many things that make a person, culture, society, etc. unique. So my question is why do we turn a blind eye on languages that desperately needs our help to stay alive? Every language that is lost is a little part of history and culture being lost with it. I understand that some people do recognize this loss in language and culture but for some reason they think they can’t do anything about it. A language should never be abandoned or be seen as a lost hope. If a person should truly care about a language and its importance in this world they should go out and try their best to conserve it. Language is everything for everyone in this world so why give up on it?

Tom Colls, (2016). Retrieved December 1, 2016, from BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8311000/8311069.stm