Half of World's Languages May Become Extinct By Year 2100 -- Science & Technology -- Sott.net

Half of World's Languages May Become Extinct By Year 2100

Andrew Moran
Digital Journal
Sat, 15 May 2010 12:00 CDT

A new report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) states that half of all modern languages may vanish by the year 2100. UNESCO says many languages are already considered to be endangered.

Here are some interesting facts about languages: There are 6,912 languages in the world. There are thirteen languages that are spoken by more than 100 million people. Approximately 2,000 languages are spoken by less than 1,000 people. The English language has about 800,000 words. Language has existed since 100,000 BC and the first language ever written was either Sumerian or Egyptian in 3,200 BC. Italian movies have won the most Academy Awards for Best Foreign Film.

All of that history of language could become extinct by the year 2100, according to UNESCO. A new report shows that half of all modern languages will "probably vanish" by the end of the century, reports Press TV.

Professor K. David Harrison, the director of the Living Tongues Institute of Swarthmore College, explained that there is a large rate of "language extinction or language death" and that half of the world's languages are already endangered. Harrison further added that the world is losing one language every two weeks.

There are several spots around the world where endangered languages are grouped, which include North America, specifically the Pacific Northwest and Oklahoma, central South America, northern Australia and eastern Siberia.

"Languages disappear for many reasons, but usually it is because the speakers are pressured to assimilate to a more dominant culture. They are made to feel from a very young age that their language is not as good, is not as worthy, is not as modern as other languages that may be spoken," said Harrison.

UNESCO warns the loss of languages could lead to the loss of history, culture and nature.

In 2009, UNESCO published a report that shows 2,500 languages are endangered and 200 are completely lost, reports TED.

There is an interactive atlas from UNESCO that shows the world's languages in danger.

Reader Comments

strange article

By: mkrnhr

In the second paragraph, "The English language has about 800,000 words." and "Italian movies have won the most Academy Awards for Best Foreign Film." are related to the whole subject of language, but they appear to be put oddly between other sentences.

Sun, 16 May 2010 01:28 CDT

I just don't get it.

By: rs1

Why is the "extinction of a language" a problem? I appreciate the loss of oral history, but the bottom line is that in any given language you can express the things that need to be expressed by the people who need to express it.

OK, the Eskimos supposedly have three bazillion words for "snow", but so do English speakers, they just don't express it as "one single word", it will be rendered as a "phrase". What is the MEANINGFUL difference? What is the difference between a "word" and a "phrase"? Why does this difference matter?

I just can't yet get beyond the sense that the loss of language is "a fact" rather than "a tragedy". Hopefully someone can educate me as to why it matters.

Sun, 16 May 2010 01:44 CDT

Dear rs1,

By: wariscrime

What you're saying is that it's not a tragedy if there's no more wood - we can replace it with wood-looking plastic.

As for the difference between a word and a phrase... If I replace the word "horse" by its dictionary description - "a solid-hoofed plant-eating domesticated mammal with a flowing mane and tail, used for riding and to carry and pull loads" - how will you know I mean a horse, and not a donkey? ;-)

Sun, 16 May 2010 06:29 CDT

...

By: the_hammer

I kind of see loosing a language every 2 weeks as a sad occurrence. I believe that every language has a bit of hidden knowledge and when there is no one around to analyse the language or connect the dots, when there is still someone around who speaks it, all of its history dies with the last person if it isn't put into text form and there isn't a Rosetta stone out there..

Sun, 16 May 2010 02:45 CDT

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