The Extinction Of A Language: Reasons And Solutions

Many linguists anticipate that at least half of the world’s 6,000 or so languages will be dead or dying over the next 50 years.1 Nowadays, languages are becoming extinct at twice the rate of endangered mammals and four times the rate of endangered birds because of disaster and the economic situation of each country changes intensely. If this trend continues, the world of the future could be dominated by a dozen or fewer languages. Language is not the only tool for human communications. Also, it represents culture. So, if a language dies, diversity of cultures and identity disappear from the earth. Losing people’s identity brings about an increase in the rate of suicide as well. For those reasons, it is necessary to think about why languages are disappearing, the function of language and how to stop the extinction of a language. 

There are two main reasons why language disappears: first, due to natural disasters and environmental changes; the areas affected by climate-related disasters are often ones that exhibit great linguistic diversity and include languages. For example, Vanuatu is the third most linguistically diverse country in the world. However, because of rising sea levels and tectonic movements, parts of some islands are sinking. As a result, a whole coastal village had to be relocated further inland from 2002 to 2004 is difficult to maintain their community as a group and their culture includes language when they are separated by accident. 

Second, the universal language is now English, which makes it difficult for another language to survive. As globalization progresses, the economy of each country develops, so using the knowledge of English has become necessary for work. As a result, many governments are now making English an official national language. For example, the government across Sub-Saharan Africa has developed some strategies to introduce English as a medium of instruction in basic education positively.

Moreover, parental thought is promoting the disappearance of languages because some parents believe that not speak their mother tongue to their children has an economic or educational advantage. Also, some of them think children can acquire only one language well.8 When the language disappears, various negative aspects can be considered. The human being has been using language as to tell their stories, record their mistakes, express their plans for the future, and leave a legacy. In other words, a language was used to pass on the history for the next generation. Hence, history and valuable information are lost each time a language dies because there are some specific words that can only be expressed in each language.

Another aspect is that “people lose their identity when their native language vanishes. It will bring about disappointment, lassitude and, in the extreme, death by suicide because personal self-esteem is closely related to their native language. Research has shown that “in Canada’s Aboriginal language communities, people with low linguistic knowledge were 6 times more likely to commit suicide than those with a high level of linguistic knowledge. Generally speaking, the most important thing to preserve a language is that parents continue passing on their mother tongue to their children at home. They can teach children not only how to speak their mother tongue but also the reason why it is important to protect own language from dying. Parents should also teach their children to be proud of their culture. However, there is a limit on this individual effort. 

Cooperation from the country is indispensable. For example, in Hawaii; their mother tongue is Hawaiian and approximately 500,000 people used to speak in their language in 1778. But because of American businessmen, people were forced to speak in English. When they overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893. English was made the national language, and people were told not to speak in Hawaiian at home or school. This policy continued when the United States annexed Hawaii in 1898. However, recently the Hawaiian government has started total immersion schools, adding one school each year to teach their mother tongue. Children now have grades one through twelve taught in the Hawaiian language. Also, the University of Hawaii now has a graduate program in Hawaiian Studies, which includes a focus on the Hawaiian language. This government cooperation contributes to the revival of the Hawaiian language. 

Another example that there is a facility for the first nation which called the first peoples house in the University of Victoria in Canada. This is a social, cultural and academic center for Indigenous students at university. This facility has an intermediate function between students and the first nation’s language and it influences the continuation of their language and culture. 

In conclusion, many languages various language are expected to disappear shortly because natural disaster force to relocate people to other places and people need to learn English instead of learning own language for their success. However, the vanishing of language brings about negative aspects such as the loss of valuable information for human development and an increase in the rate of suicide. Therefore, it is necessary to protect each language equally to do so, cooperation not only for individual participation in the family but also for government education reform is indispensable.

Bibliography 

• Foltz, Anouschka. “How Languages Die.” The New Republic. 2015. https://newrepublic.com/article/125501/languages-die
• Grimes, Barbara.“Global Language Viability: Causes, Symptoms and Cures for Endangered Languages.” http://www.sil.org/sociolx/ndg-lg-grimes.html
• Hallet, Darcy. “Aboriginal Language Knowledge and Youth Suicide.” Science Direct. 2007. https://www.sciencedirect.com/ 
• Kioko, Angelica. “Why School Should Teach Young Learner in Home Language.” British Council. 2015. https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/why-schools-should-teach- young-learners-home-language 
• Ostler , Rosemarie. “Disappearing Languages.” Whole Earth. 2000. http://www.wholeearth.com/issue/2100/article/138/disappearing.languages
• University of Victoria. “ First Peoples House” https://www.uvic.ca/services/indigenous/house/