Endangered Languages and Cultures - Essay Example

Endangered languages and cultures Language is a method of communication between humans, whose occurrence is in written and spoken format. Words are used in a conventional and structured way. The study of language is termed as linguistics. Furthermore, languages all over the world are estimated to be between 5000 and 7000 in number. Language encryption can occur in diverse forms, such as secondary media via use of visual audio through whistling and graphic writing. It does possess immense varieties of expressions, displacement, and productivity properties. Despite this, language understanding depends on learning and social convention. As Argenter (2005) observes, language extinction occurs through loss of its native orator. Language extinction is a development that has emotional impacts on speaking communities, more so when there is a decrease in the level of linguistic capability that orators possess in a given language variety. Eventually this development brings about extinction of a language variety due to non-existence of fluent and native speakers. There are various reasons why languages disappear. Globalization is one of them; this refers to either division of labour and global economic specialism or adoption of cultural practices that are similar across the world. Globalization is said to be the result of language decline and not the cause. Another reason of language decline is capitalism and trade. Trade does not eradicate languages more than it eradicates cultural practice. Further, trade does not usually diminish language but instead improves interchange of cultural practices and nurtures their proliferation. Traditionally, trade enabled the creation of new languages that can be used for communication between people who do not share the first language. Furthermore, political repression is also a major cause of language endangerment. The state strives to endorse one culture that is accepted nationwide thus limiting other minority languages in schools and public places or prohibiting them completely. Lastly, urbanization is also a major reason why language becomes extinct. As Brenzinger (2008) found out, urbanization is the movement from rural to urban areas. This has made people adopt other languages that are suitable to them and abandon their cultures. Above 50% of the languages globally are in eight countries, namely: Brazil, Mexico, Australia, Indonesia, India, Nigeria, Cameroon and Papua New Guinea. According to Cole (2011), Vulnerable, definitely endangered, severely endangered Extinct, and critically endangered are the various forms of endangered languages. Vulnerable languages are spoken by most children but limited to certain areas like homes. Examples of languages in this category are South Italian, Sicilian, Low Saxon, Belarusian and many more. Secondly, definitely endangered language is that where children do not learn their mother tongue language at home. They comprise of Badaga, Laz, Chambeali, Kolami and many more. Thirdly, severely endangered are languages that are spoken by the older generation and the grandparents understand it; however, they do not communicate using the language to their children or themselves. 2 These languages include Wajarri, Nafusi, Gallo, Sierra Totonac and others. Further, critically endangered are languages that the youngest orators are grandparents and they tend to speak irregularly and partially using the language. Examples are Yarawi, Volow, Yahgan and many more. Lastly, in extinct language are no there more orators left. Examples of extinct languages are Tobada, Canichana, Lae, Aasax, Ahom and many more. Cunningham, Ingram, and Sumbuk (2006) assert that languages are becoming extinct globally through globalization, political repression and urbanization. A new project to save the languages is in place and it aims to reserve the linguistic diversity that is lost as young people turn to languages taught in the media and schools and the old native speakers pass away. The project aims at documenting and recording languages that face the possibility of becoming extinct. Grenoble (1999) refutes that by doing so it will preserve the stories, chants, and poems about different language varieties The rate of language disappearance is extremely high. In a span of two weeks, one language is said to fall out of use. Such a rate is quite escalating. Over the 7000 languages spoken all over the world, half are in danger of extinction in this era. Some disappear instantly with the demise of the only surviving speaker while other are lost in fluent cultures due to overwhelming of the native tongues by the central language in television, schools, and marketplaces. Regions that have been identified to loose languages rapidly are Central South America, Eastern Siberia, Southwest United States, Oklahoma, North America Upper Pacific Coastal Zone, and North Australia. All these regions are full of native orators speaking varied languages but in declining numbers. In the last two decades, linguists spent time collecting comparative data. Large atlases on languages have been printed and surveys carried out. Moreover, when people survey they do not just make notes on its vocabulary and grammar instead they look at the surviving native speakers and their ages. It is estimated that above 50 languages have one indigenous orator and 5,000 languages have less than 100,000 native speakers. With this alarming rate, no one seems to worry about passing on of languages to the offspring, thus language is bound for extinction eventually. Powerful languages round the globe have displaced many minor languages. English language has evacuated countless languages. In South America, it is Portuguese and Spanish and in Northern Asia, it is Russian. Language death affects the community that speaks the language in a big way. As the society loses its language, then cultural traditions tied to the language such as myths, poetry and songs are lost. This affects the communities’ identity, thus generating a weakened social unity as their traditions and values are substituted with new ones, as Haig (2011) suggests. 3 Udmurt and Chukcha languages are some examples of languages that have preserved their culture to present time. Firstly, Udmurt is a Uralic language orated by the indigenous people of Udmurt in the Russian constituent republic of Udmurtia. This language is inscribed by means of a Cyrillic alphabet, which is made up of five characters that are not used in the Russian alphabet. Moreover, it has rented vocabulary from the Russian and Tatar languages. It is also an agglutinating language. It uses affixes to specify time and mode. It uses those affixes to express ownership. Further, Udmurt does not differentiate between short and long vowels; in addition, vowel harmony does not exist in this language. Dependent on style, about 30% of Udmurt lexicon comprise of loanwords. Many of these loanwords originate from the Tatar language; Tatar has also greatly influenced Udmurt syntax and phonology. Words that are linked to science, politics, and technology have originated from Russian language. The Udmurt language is part of the Finno-Ugric languages. They have had a close interrelationship with Slavonic language and Turkish language talking people for eras. According to Minahan (2014), the Udmurt have conserved their cultural and linguistic independence until modern times Moreover, political and social changes in the last era have made the entire Udmurt language speaking society multi-lingual. In present generation there still exists grandparents although rarely, monolingual Udmurt people speaking the language. Therefore, current speakers are native, bilingual, or trilingual people residing in marginal places. However, the creation of Udmurt language began in the 18th century. Lastly, the average use of Udmurt language is still not measured in detail, since the significance of the conventional social-political conditions; the language is used partially. Therefore, present users of the language use their mother tongue only at a dialect level or at a level of both standard language and dialect. Chukchi is a Palaeosiberian language communicated by Chukchi people in the eastern part of Siberia. About 7700 out of the overall population of 15700 of Chukchi community, know how to speak Chukchi. However, the level of knowledge among the people speaking the language is decreasing rapidly. Most Chukchis speak the Russian language nowadays. Further, The Chukchi is related closely with the Koryak. The koryak is spoken by around half as many people as those who speak Chukchi. Moreover, the Chukchi, itelmen, Kerek, Alutor and Koryak form the chukotko-kamchatkan language family. The Chukchi language is enlisted on one of the endangered languages. Bogoraz invented the first official Chukchi alphabet in 1931. It was founded on the Latin script. In 1937, the alphabets were replaced by Cyrillic alphabet. Further, the Chukchi language has no voice stops. However, it is generally agglutinative and has ergative-absolute alignment. However, its incorporation is universal. In present, the Chukchi language is a means of communication among family member of the middle and old ages. It is the main mode of communication in people working in the domain of traditional events among regional groups of Chukchi. Knowledge of Chukchi language is still preserved in city dwellers who use the language to communicate with older natives and village residents as Tsunoda (2006) suggests. 4 In order to save languages it is therefore important to document and record those languages before they become extinct. These documents can be used by the future generations for reference and educational purposes thus preserving the cultures of different languages. However, language can become extinct if there are instances where a state forces their citizens to embrace one language thus neglecting the other languages. In addition, this result to the loss of morals and cultural values that are of importance to the upcoming and future generations. Lastly, I support the saving of these languages in order to be able to protect the culture of different communities and avoid breaking the social unity that exists in the communities. In order to save languages it is important to document and record those languages before they become extinct. These documents can be used by the future generations for reference and educational purposes thus preserving the cultures of different languages. In addition, introduction of languages to the school curriculum will help in preventing the extinction of language. Lastly, I support the saving of these languages in order to be able to protect the culture of different communities and avoid breaking the social unity that exists in the communities. 5 Reference list ARGENTER, J. A. 2005. On the margins of nations: endangered languages and linguistics rights ; Barcelona (Catalonia), Spain, 1-3 October 2004. Bath, Foundation for Endangered Languages. BRENZINGER, M. 2008. Language diversity endangered. Berlin, Mouton de Gruyter. COLE, J. 2011. Ethnic groups of Europe: an encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, Calf, ABC-CLIO. CUNNINGHAM, D., INGRAM, D. E., & SUMBUK, K. 2006. Language diversity in the Pacific: endangerment and survival. Clevedon [England], Multilingual Matters. GRENOBLE, L. A. 1999. Endangered languages: language loss and community response. Cambridge [u.a.], Cambridge Univ. Press. HAIG, G. 2011. Documenting endangered languages: achievements and perspectives. Berlin, De Gruyter Mouton. MINAHAN, J. 2014. Ethnic Groups of North, East, and Central Asia. Santa Barbara, ABC-CLIO. http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=1688905. TSUNODA, T. 2006. Language endangerment and language revitalization an introduction. Berlin, Mouton de Gruyter. 6 Read More