Linguistics

Ethan Zweig

Mr. Roddy 

IHSS

September 7, 2021


    Today 5,000 to 6,000 languages are spoken in the world, but a century from now, the number would be in the low thousands or maybe even in the hundreds. Communities that were once self-sufficient find themselves under intense pressure to integrate with powerful neighbors, often leading to the loss of their own language. The pressure on languages can be economic, social, cultural, religious, political, military, or any combination of these. Language loss has been seen as a loss of social identity or as a symbol of defeat by a colonial power. Much of the cultural and spiritual life is experienced through language. This ranges from prayers, ceremonies, poetry, oratory, and technical vocabulary to everyday greetings, leave takings, conversational styles, humor, and ways of speaking to children. When language is lost, all of this must be refashioned in a new language. 

    
    

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