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Dying Languages
The living
languages in the world are becoming extinct twice as fast as the endangered
mammals. Linguists estimate that there are 6,809 living languages in the world
today, but because 90 per cent of them are spoken by fewer than 100,000 people,
at least half of them will be dead by the year 2050. A healthy language is one
that acquires new speakers. This means that no matter how many adults use the
language, if it isn't passed on to the next generation, it will die. In
nineteenth century Australia and the United States, native children were sent to
boarding schools, where they were punished for speaking their own language. The
English government used similar methods to forcibly repress the Celtic languages
of Ireland and Wales. The European Union is increasingly concerned that English
will eventually replace some European languages, since it's the only language
that many Europeans have in common.
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