Is there a possibility that the language could become

extinct?

Introduction
Languages are very important for who we are, how we
talk to each other, and our history. But many languages
are disappearing quickly. Studies say that one language
goes away about every two weeks. More than 40% of the
languages in the world are in danger. When languages
are lost, whole cultures and ways of knowing things can
also go away. This makes us think about whether some
languages could really be gone forever. This report looks
at why languages are in trouble, what happens because
of it, and what people think about the problem of
language disappearing, both around the world and in our
own countries.
Causes And Consequences
Language extinction happens because of things like
globalization, moving to cities, and the use of popular
languages like English, Mandarin, and Spanish. When
people move to cities, younger kids often start using
these big languages for jobs and friends. This can make
them stop speaking their own language, which is called
their mother tongue (UNESCO). Sometimes, when one
group takes over another, their languages get pushed
down and forgotten. This has hurt many native languages
all around the world.
When a language goes away, the results are very
important. We lose special ways of thinking, traditions,
and old knowledge, especially in areas like natural
medicine and nature. When a language is lost, it makes it
harder for people to feel connected to their culture and to
each other. Also, knowledge about science becomes less
rich, because the different ways people talk about the
world start to go away.
Source Evaluation
This report uses two main sources: UNESCO Atlas of the
World’s Languages in Danger and Ethnologue. The
UNESCO Atlas is a good source because UNESCO is well-
known for helping to keep cultures safe. But, it
sometimes shows a little bias by focusing on how
important it is to keep different cultures and languages.
Ethnologue is a big book about all the languages in the
world. It gives many details about how strong each
language is. However, some people say it can be hard to
understand its lists. It sometimes makes languages sound
like they are in more danger than they really are, which
might change how readers think about language safety.
Together, these sources give a fair view, with UNESCO
showing how cultures matter and Ethnologue sharing lots
of language information.
Global Perspective
All over the world, losing languages is a big problem that
can make cultures less colourful. The United Nations said
that 2019 was the Year of Native Languages to help
people learn and care more about this. UNESCO says
there are about 7,000 languages spoken around the
world, but nearly 3,000 of them are in danger of
disappearing. This shows that it is a worldwide problem,
as these endangered languages are from many places—
from the Native languages in Americas and Australia to
small languages in Africa and Asia.
National Perspective
In the United States, many Native American languages
are in danger of disappearing. A long time ago, there
were about 300 Native languages spoken in the country.
Now, only about 175 are left, and not many young people
speak them often. For example, the Cherokee language
used to be spoken by many people, but now there is less
than 2,000 people who still speaks it. There are things
like the Native American Languages Act from 1990 that
try to help these languages come back by giving money
and support. But, lots of languages are still at risk
because there isn't enough help and people still focus on
speaking English.
Different Perspective
The world view says that all countries need to help keep
languages alive because they are a part of our shared
history. Big groups like UNESCO help make rules that
support learning in many languages. They think having
different languages is good for culture and science.
In the United States, the country view looks at keeping
certain Native American languages safe. It talks about the
problems that small communities have when trying to
keep their languages in a place where English is used a
lot. The world view wants big changes everywhere, but
the country view works more on helping local people and
making rules that fit their culture.
National or Local Course of Action
To help save languages that are in danger in the United
States, it is very important that the government helps
schools and community programs that use native
languages. The government could give money to make
books, teach teachers, and save languages for kids in the
future. Working with places like museums can help to
keep and celebrate languages that are at risk. Also,
changing rules can help protect native languages in TV
and schools.
Conclusion
The facts show that languages can disappear if we do not
help, especially for smaller languages that have less
speakers. When we think about this, we see that keeping
languages safe is not only about saving words. It is also
about keeping cultures, histories, and knowledge
protected. The worldwide work by UNESCO and actions
from places like the U.S. Native American Languages Act
show that working together is very important. For the
future, we needs to make sure that both worldwide and
local actions work together so that many different
languages can grow and be good for kids later.
References:
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