By Doug Whalen and K. David Harrison
As the second millennium comes to a close, more than 6,000 distinct human languages are in use worldwide. Many linguists predict that by the year 2100, only half of these languages will still be spoken—a loss of one language every 12 days.
Why are languages disappearing? The most fundamental reason is increased contact among formerly isolated human societies. Languages need isolation to develop and to maintain their distinctive characteristics. When isolation ends, local languages tend to disappear along with traditional ways of life.
Many indigenous peoples and linguists are working to halt this trend, which threatens to diminish the world’s cultural and linguistic heritage. Much of a society’s history and culture is contained in its language. To lose an ancestral language is to weaken the links to the ancestors themselves. As languages disappear, a wealth of culture, art, and knowledge disappears with them. The world’s many languages also offer anthropologists a unique resource for studying how humans spread across the Earth. Much of what is known about the historical movement of human beings comes from the study of languages that were spoken by ancient peoples of the Earth.
As the second millennium comes to a close, more than 6,000 distinct human languages are in use worldwide. Many linguists predict that by the year 2100, only half of these languages will still be spoken—a loss of one language every 12 days.
Why are languages disappearing? The most fundamental reason is increased contact among formerly isolated human societies. Languages need isolation to develop and to maintain their distinctive characteristics. When isolation ends, local languages tend to disappear along with traditional ways of life.
Many indigenous peoples and linguists are working to halt this trend, which threatens to diminish the world’s cultural and linguistic heritage. Much of a society’s history and culture is contained in its language. To lose an ancestral language is to weaken the links to the ancestors themselves. As languages disappear, a wealth of culture, art, and knowledge disappears with them. The world’s many languages also offer anthropologists a unique resource for studying how humans spread across the Earth. Much of what is known about the historical movement of human beings comes from the study of languages that were spoken by ancient peoples of the Earth.
