Endangered language

Many ways to talk are at risk.

Some languages are in danger. This happens when people stop using them. Often, children do not learn the old way to talk. They may start using a new language instead.

This can cause a language to die out. When no one speaks it, the language is gone. This can happen to spoken words or sign languages.

People are working hard to help. They write things down to save them. Some lands have laws to protect their speech.

It is important to keep these ways to talk alive. We can learn about them to help.

Languages are ways that people share ideas and stories. Today, many languages are at risk. We call these endangered languages.

A language is endangered when speakers stop using it. This often happens when children do not learn it. Instead, they learn a different language. They might choose a language used for jobs or power. This change is called a language shift. If no one is left to speak it, the language is extinct. It is then called a dead language.

Some things can cause this loss. War or natural disasters can harm the people who speak a language. Also, people may feel they must use a new language to fit in. This can happen to spoken words or even sign languages. For example, Adamorobe Sign Language in Ghana is at risk.

Many people want to help. Experts work with communities to teach these languages again. They also write them down to save them for the future. Some countries even make laws to protect local speech.

There are about 6,000 to 7,000 languages spoken today. Some experts think many will be gone by the year 2100. Saving them helps keep the world's culture rich.

Languages are how people share their unique cultures and stories. Today, many of these ways of speaking are at risk of disappearing. We call these endangered languages.

When a language has no more people who can speak it fluently, it is called a dead or extinct language. People can still study these languages through old writings or recordings. However, the loss of a language means losing a special part of human heritage. This happens when speakers stop using their native tongue and switch to a different one. This change is known as a language shift.

Language shift often happens for specific reasons. People might switch to a language that has more social or economic power. They may choose a language that is spoken more widely in their area. This can lead to a slow decline in the original language. There are different stages in this process. First, a language faces strong pressure but people still teach it to children. This is called potential endangerment. Later, children stop learning it, which is the endangerment stage. Eventually, a language may become seriously endangered, moribund, or totally extinct.

Many things can cause languages to be lost. Some causes put people in physical danger. For example, wars or natural disasters like the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami can affect speech communities. Other causes are social or political. People might feel they must use a new language to get jobs or fit in. This is often called marginalization. This can happen to spoken languages or even sign languages. Some sign languages, like Adamorobe Sign Language in Ghana, are at risk. Changes in a community can cause these traditional signs to be lost.

Experts work hard to count and study the world's languages. It is hard to know the exact number because it is difficult to define a language versus a dialect. In the early 1900s, most experts did not even try to guess the number. Now, groups like SIL International use a database called Ethnologue. In 2005, Ethnologue counted 6,912 languages. About 32.8% of these were in Asia and 30.3% were in Africa. Some experts believe that between 50% and 90% of all languages could be gone by the year 2100.

Many people are working to save these languages. Some projects help communities teach their languages to children again. This is called language revitalization. Many countries have also made laws to protect the speech of indigenous groups. Linguists also work to document languages that are not being spoken. They write them down so the information is not lost forever. Even if a language cannot be brought back, documentation helps us learn about it. Protecting these languages helps keep the world's many cultures alive and diverse.

An endangered language is a language at risk of disappearing. This happens when its speakers die out or shift to other languages. When a language has no more native speakers, it becomes a dead or extinct language. A dead language can still be studied through recordings or writings. However, it is considered extinct once there are no fluent speakers left. Language loss is a serious issue for human cultural heritage.

Language shift is the primary mechanism of language loss. This occurs when speakers switch to a language with more social or economic power. It also happens when people move to a language spoken more widely. This shift is often driven by globalization and economic authorities. People may also feel pressure from the perceived prestige of certain languages. As more people adopt a dominant language, the original language gradually declines. This process eventually leads to the death of the endangered language.

Linguists identify several distinct stages of language decline. The first stage is potential endangerment. At this point, a language faces strong external pressure. However, communities still pass the language to their children. The second stage is endangerment. During this stage, only a few speakers remain. Children are no longer learning the language in most cases. The third stage is seriously endangered. A language at this stage is unlikely to survive another generation. This is followed by the moribund stage and finally extinction.

UNESCO uses four specific levels to classify language endangerment. These levels are based on intergenerational transfer. The first level is vulnerable, meaning the language is not spoken by children outside the home. The second level is definitely endangered, where children no longer learn the language. The third level is severely endangered, meaning only older generations speak it. The final level is critically endangered. At this stage, the youngest speakers are often only grandparents or older adults.

There are many historical and modern causes for language loss. Some causes involve physical danger to the speaking population. War, genocide, and natural disasters can wipe out entire communities. For example, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami affected the languages of the Andaman Islands. Other causes are social or political. Marginalization can create incentives for people to abandon their native tongues. This often happens through assimilatory education. People may adopt new languages to gain employment or higher social status. This has occurred with languages like Welsh, Irish, and Sardinian.

Estimating the number of languages in the world is difficult. It is hard to define the exact line between a language and a dialect. In the early twentieth century, most linguists did not provide estimates. They often relied on guesswork. Today, research is more systematic. One active agency is SIL International, which maintains the Ethnologue database. In 2005, Ethnologue recorded 6,912 languages. Of these, 32.8% were in Asia and 30.3% were in Africa. Experts estimate that between 6,000 and 7,000 languages are spoken today. Some believe 50% to 90% of these could be dead by the year 2100.

Language loss is not limited to spoken words. Sign languages can also become endangered. Small changes in a community can lead to the loss of traditional signs. Examples include the Alipur Village Sign Language of India and the Adamorobe Sign Language of Ghana. Researchers are developing new ways to measure the vitality of these sign languages. This work is vital for protecting all forms of communication.

Many efforts are underway to prevent language death. This is often called language revitalization. Projects involve communities and linguists working together. They promote literacy and education in minority languages. Many countries have also passed laws to protect indigenous speech. When revitalization is not possible, linguists focus on documentation. They record the languages so that knowledge is not lost forever. Protecting these languages helps maintain global linguistic diversity.