The race to save our languages

steve smyth — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 20:16:49 GMT

it's ironic to be studying/saving languages from the far reaches...consider what is happening to plain ol' American...within one generation, we have developed a lingo that is nothing more than a cadence of sound bursts with a familar ring...try adding nuance, or tone of voice in a conversation these days...WHAAA?
just the facts, M'am...just the facts...

The race to save our languages

Jen — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 21:04:40 GMT

I love languages and culture myself. It feels like there have been so many cultures that have become extinct in my lifetime and it saddens me. I have given up on the idea of preservation as it appears that within the next 1000 years human existence will become so homogenized that we will end up with 1 race and 1 language. Globalization and overpopulation seem to point in this direction.

The race to save our languages

InJM — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:19:38 GMT

@steve smyth
American? What language is this American you speak of?

The race to save our languages

Maxwell Edison, Frisco, The Atlantic Ocean — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 01:31:08 GMT

I think saving languages is a wonderful idea, just for the sake of preserving human heritage. However, I do not believe human existence will become homogenized. Look how diverse America has become since the 50s when everyone was the same, now there are all different types of people with their own culture and beliefs living in the same country. Diversification is a naturally occurring process, living things that fail to change disappear.

The race to save our languages

Jon — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 01:33:06 GMT

I dont think it will be 1 language. It will be 2 languages because We, Deaf people, will need sign language.

The race to save our languages

Sara, PA — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 01:48:27 GMT

I wonderif, the Nubian language was considerd for preservation. these are the indigiuos people who actually built the Eygyptian civilization as we know it.

The race to save our languages

steve smyth — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 02:42:31 GMT

American is the slanged, abbreviated, twanged, drawled, grunted version of English...generously filled with Ethnic flavorings...spoken before the info/data age made anything but more info/data seem irrelevant in daily conversation.
People could actually convey emotion via inflection...try that today...not shouting, screaming, and finger pointing...inflection.
That's my best effort...never have been able to describe it any better...it's a tough one to put into words...ironic, eh?

The race to save our languages

Reva, Toronto — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 03:17:45 GMT

Every language is considered for preservation anytime that the language is beign spoken by a small and dwindling number of individuals. Does that help, Sara from PA? Now, for steve smyth, English (American is NOT a language) is widely spoken, and is in fact one of the uber-languages that are threatening the existence of Sora, Chulym, Kallawaya and every other language on this planet that has fewer than a thousand or so speakers. French is another uber-language, and one of the tongues that it is extinguisihg is the native language spoken in Provence. The Basque tongue is endangered, as are a number of other minority languages in the "Old World". The Uighur people and language are under attack in western China. There are hundreds of languages throughout the "Old World" that are being spoken by fewer and fewer people every day. And none of this begins to take into account the vast number of indigenous languages in the "New World" that may now have a handful or fewer speakers. The world becomes a poorer and poorer place, in any number of ways, each time that a speaker of one of these languages passes away. [...]

The race to save our languages

Jirby, Colorado Springs, CO — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 04:00:06 GMT

I agree with others above that American should be saved. The pure, unaccented version, that is. I am really tired of that prissy and effete New Englandish brogue taught in broadcasting and journalism classes and required for anyone on TV, including chefs in cooking seggies and commercial actors. These people sound like they all grew up in the same shopping mall.

The race to save our languages

Eric W. Anderson, Spokane, WA — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 04:33:32 GMT

Languages have been becoming extinct for decades, and there is a definite urgency to preserving them because they hold insights into how their cultures perceive their environment, e.g. how the Sora speakers quantify. It is not only important to document the endangered language, but also to create the tools that can pass it on to those speakers of the community who have opted for a more widely used language but who want to revisit their linguistic heritage and keep it alive. We have developed such a tool, and look forward to a dialogue with the authors.

The race to save our languages

Antoon Valckx Hoex — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 04:58:17 GMT

99 in French is 4 times twenty plus ten plus nine. But in Belgium the french speeking part cslls it nonanteneuf.

The race to save our languages

lyle, palo alto, ca — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 05:00:12 GMT

What is troubling is the extent to which our language subtly shapes our thinking, and that the languages that survive are always those of the conquerors. Does this mean that the future of human thought will be determined by languages of aggression, combat, domination, fear and control?

The race to save our languages

Kris Jackson — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 05:16:25 GMT

I think it was casey Stengel who said, "Never let the English language get in the way of what you want to say." It's not euphoneous, it's often imprecise, but there are worse tongues that could have emerged as the world language. C'est la guerre, français.

The race to save our languages

da' truth — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 05:32:23 GMT

Pretty soon, America will need this help since everyone here will be speaking Mexican instead of English.

The race to save our languages

Jay Marquess, Earlington, Ky — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 06:09:30 GMT

The Appalacian language or "dielect" is compleatly gone as far as i can tell. I remember my grandparents speaking that. If a modern person got into a time machine and travled back 100years in East Kentucky they would do real well to get a drink of water.

The race to save our languages

Jennifer, Portland OR — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 07:25:05 GMT

The benefits of speaking a common language far outweigh the potential benefits of preserving all others. I also disagree with Jen - I don't think we'll be a single race 1000 years from now. Not everyone values race-mixing, and its probably naive to expect that this era is fundamentally different than all previous.

The race to save our languages

robert hargrove — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 07:45:03 GMT

1st, how do you try and learn about another culture's language and not know whether there are 5 or 6 or 9 or 10 people that still speak the language??? I could understand if we were talking 1000's or tens of thousands, but 5 or 6 or 9 or 10, GIVE ME A BREAK! It's this laziness that is the cause of these lost dialects. How can you not count the # of people when it is no more than double digits. We are paying these supposed Linguists hundreds of thousands of dollars to travel the world and record these languages. and they cannot even count to 10??? IDIOTS!!!

The race to save our languages

Dirk, Gilbert, Arizona — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 07:54:10 GMT

It is a very nice idea to save dying languages, but people cannot be forced to speak a language that they recognize as a limitation on their progress in the outside world. In Spain, Catalan and Basque were outlawed by Franco and they have had a resurgence since his death, but if, for example, speakers of Sora CHOOSE to teach their children English and/or Hindi instead in order to help them find better jobs and greater prosperity, we cannot force them to do otherwise simply because WE don't want their language to disappear.

The race to save our languages

Frank — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 10:13:47 GMT

American is a melting pot indead, melted into the main stream English speaking only society. Most of second generation immigrant cannot speak their parent's tongue, because it was not tolerated in school or college. This is assimiliation in the truest sense.

The race to save our languages

Josh — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:56:06 GMT

One thing I can't stand is that more and more young people talk with a rising intonation at the ends of sentences, making everything they say sound like a question.

The race to save our languages

Eric, Salinas, CA — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:01:32 GMT

Great article Alan! It is a pity that so many languages will become extinct but that's the nature of things. Hopefully someone will be able to record enough of these soon to be extinct languages that they'll be able to preserve them but if no one learns them to speak them they will just collect dust. I hope that language skills are more vigorously taught here in the USA, despite what those English only bozos want. Time for them to expand their linguistic skills.

The race to save our languages

seadog, seattle, wa — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:31:28 GMT

My mother is one of the last speakers of Tlingit. As the eldest child (and eldest daughter in a matrilineal culture) she spent a great deal of time with her grandmother learning first-hand basket-weaving and beading. Tlingit is listed by the UN as a critically endangered language. Her cousin developed the first Tlingit-English dictionary and was instrumental in transcribing Tlingit into writing.

The race to save our languages

Myron, Texas — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:42:48 GMT

Everyone was the same in the 50s? Certainly not in the sound of their voices. The accents I heard even in the 60s, German, Czech, Polish, have all disappeared. Everyone sounds the same now. I love old movies. If the director wanted an actor with a Swedish accent they hired a Swede. Now they have to hire langauge coaches to teach an actor to speak with an accent.

The race to save our languages

Jim McFadden (NML Board Member) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:48:56 GMT

Dying languages is just one of the many issues that the National Museum of Language (NML) was created to address. The NML is located in College Park, Maryland, and is open two to three days per week. Our current exhibit focuses on alphabets and writing systems. The NML also hosts the popular Marian M. Jenkins Memorial Speaker Series, bringing many pertinent issues to the general public. A recent presentation was, "Discourses in Dying Languages: My Story in Yiddish."

I invite you to visit the NML virtual museum at www.langugaemuseum.org where podcasts of the speaker series are available and to consider joining us in our efforts to promote a better understanding of language and its role in history, contemporary affairs, and the future.

The race to save our languages

drew, maryville, MO — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:30:52 GMT

Concerning the comment that we are quickly approaching a homogenized race and language. Recent anthropological and genetic research suggests that humans are actually evolving at an increasing and diverging rate. We are actually becoming more diverse genetically depending on the environment and culture we live in. That said, i still believe that every language should be preserved simply because of the wealth of knowledge and perspective they can offer.

The race to save our languages

Buddha Dude, Toronto Ontario Canada — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:48:38 GMT

How about the languages that are disappearing from the landscape due to the “American” dialect dominance. Here in Canada we used to pride ourselves for speaking proper “King’s English”. We are now bombarded by American TV, Radio, Music, the Internet and word processors that do not recognize proper English even though they are set to Canadian English, we must say Check instead of Cheque (as in writing a Cheque), Color instead of Colour, Aluminum instead of Aluminium, Line Up instead of Queue, Elevator instead of Lift.

It is not just languages that are disappearing, but dialects too.

You will be assimilated Y’all…

The race to save our languages

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:58:15 GMT

Sorry, Buddha Dude, but you make it sound like there is a single Canadian dialect that we all used to speak. This is simply untrue. If you spoke to my (now dead) Grandmother, and then spoke to my (now dead) Grandfather, you would be hearing two very distinct Canadian dialects; one from Newfoundland, and one from Alberta.
Heck, I can usually tell if someone is from Cape Breton or main land Nova Scotia simply by talking to them for 30 seconds. (Can you guess where I am from?).
Though, I will admit, there are too many Canadian's who cannot spell properly any more, and that is due to 'Merican influence. Tell someone that there is a 'u' in colour and they look at you like you are the crazy one. Heck, tell some people that there is a 'g' in tonight (not tonite) and they'll give you a funny look. But I've never once heard any Canadian say 'queue', not unless they were talking programming.

The race to save our languages

No one — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:15:14 GMT

I don't think of myself as too educated a person, but even I am amazed at the comments regarding "Amercian" and "Mexican" languages. Americans speak ENGLISH (badly, I might add), and Mexicans speak SPANISH. The languages have their own regional dialects, if that's the right word, but there's no mistaking what they are. As for the comment "Look how diverse America has become since the 50s when everyone was the same, now there are all different types of people with their own culture and beliefs living in the same country.", I just wonder where that particular poster was during school. Are you one of those people that believes TV sitcoms are the real history classes? America was founded by IMMIGRANTS who came here from many other countries. In the beginning, most of them were European, but they have come (pre-1950's, I promise) from many other (DIVERSE) places. The one and only person in my family tree to arrive in the USA after 1950 is my Japanese grandmother. You seriously never learned about the SLAVES? They were brought here from Africa, and their culture became an integral part of American culture. Look closely at Louisiana, a crazy-diverse mixture of every culture that was in LA at the time. There is even a touch of Voo-Doo...those slaves came through Haiti, you know. What about the Chinese? Do you really believe that all the Chinese in this country suddenly immigrated after the 50's? Who do you think built our railroads? Westerns are good for something, I suppose, and, while over-the-top quite often, they were accurate when depicting Chinese indentured servants working on railroads, in mining camps, and doing laundry. What about the Japanese? They were here before the 50's. Of course they were. We have tons of documentation showing them being herded into camps during WWII, being so afraid that they were spies or enemy combatants. How in the world were these people herded into these camps during the 40's if they weren't even here until AFTER the 50's? I just wish people would educate themselves before they open their mouths, or, as is this case, type their thoughts. Here I am a high school graduate, nothing more, and I am thoroughly disgusted by the ignorance that I constantly hear and read. As an FYI, I am also more than a little worried, because a lot of these idiots DO graduate high school, going on the graduate college. Then, God help me, they will become our future. Oh, wait, they already have. I should've gone to college. At least I would have had a piece of paper that would have allowed me to be influential, possibly helping to educate just a few of America's morons. Intelligent people should take the time to watch the movie IDIOCRACY. That movie is just an over-the-top version of our future. What a bummer.

The race to save our languages

lynn — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 23:32:26 GMT

how about the native languages that are rapidly disappearing right here in our own back yard, the younger ones do not know their native cree for example.my grandmother tried to teach me gaelic,i used to know some, but since moving west i have forgotten all i learned. sad but true we are being americanized by the media. it is a form of english, the original much better.

The race to save our languages

Sam Houstan Teaxs — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 23:58:54 GMT

I agree. Pretty much we Americans have assimilated many languages. For example down here in the south, some accents become popular and "cool" instead of the boring goodbye a person Instead would use adios amigo. Sort of a slang term. But each state has its own uniqe accent here in the state and grammer. For example Pennsyvainia folk I tend to notice a bit to often their poor grammer skills No offense intended. But then again as I said before Accents also play a role.

I don't know why but I seem to enjoy the English accents from Britain And the French from France. I tend to pronounce France differently depending what languae im using.

The race to save our languages

J. Ortiz — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 01:41:16 GMT

In reference to Maxwell Edison from Frisco, The Atlantic Ocean,I agree that saving languages is a wonderful idea, just for the sake of preserving human heritage,and that human will not will become homogenized.Language will just continue to evolve in different palaces and between generations,but I think that you are wrong about how diverse America has become since the 50's "when everyone was the same".That only happened on Leave it to Beaver and other white washed hollywood shows.In the real world, there were probably just as many or even more cultures and languages spoken here in America from that time,allbeit in the immigrant filled cities of the industrial north. Remember that every group had a specific neighborhood and even regional groups within them. My grandparents spoke a different form of spanish from the Jibaros of Puerto Rico, and there were even some linguistic differences between towns due to immigrant groups from different regions of Spain and elsewhere.

The race to save our languages

Language puritist, Australia — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 02:47:52 GMT

In Australia we still speak a degree of British English ie Cheque instead of Check, Colour instead of Color and it is taught this way in schools. However, with the influence of American t.v, movies, internet, music etc, the language is now starting to change and there appears to be considerable and noticable grammatical errors on the rise with the influences of American spelling, slang, text messages etc. A lot of the old Aussie slang is now not understood by the younger generation, and we should endevour to preserve this for the sake of keeping a strong Australian culture,which is quite different to American culture. My father grew up speaking old norwegian which was taught to him by his parents, he went back home to visit after many years and found that the language was being changed to resemble that of swedish with many english internations...nd again that is another language being lost. What a shame we have to wait for a language to be on the brink of dying out that we endevour to save it. Waiting until there are only 6 native speakers left of a language facing extinction is such a loss to the country's cultural heritage and in turn we learn less about humanity. Surely these languages can be taught in schools and encouraged in the home for the children to have not only a better future with more than one language, but a much richer cultural understanding of where they have come from. I grew up speaking 3 languages and neither of them wins out over the other given that my parents ensured that all languages were used on a regular basis. My children are now benefiting from this.

The race to save our languages

Dave BC WA — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 03:29:52 GMT

It would be a loss of heritage to lose the language of our ancestors. It would also be totally stupid to have a society where every individual didn’t understand what the President was saying. If that means teaching English, so be it. At least that's what I think anyway.

The race to save our languages

Dr.Aijaz,kARACHI,SINDH — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 06:38:02 GMT

WE ALL MUST TRY TO SAVE LANGUAGES FROM BECOMING EXTINCT.WE DONOT KNOW WHAT SECRETS MIGHT BE HIDDEN IN THOSE LANGUAGES.FOR EXAMPLE THE EGYPTIAN LANGUAGE HAS STILL NOT BEEN TRANSLATED PROPERLY YET AND THUS THE METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION OF THE PYRAMIDS IS STILL UNKNOWN.SAME IS THE CASE WITH THE MEDICINAL TEXTS OF THE AYURVEDA.

The race to save our languages

Ray Salz Dallas TX — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 07:37:19 GMT

Mexicans don't speak mexican,they speak spanish from castillian heritage(Spain)"mexican" is a language that is almost extinct(Nahuatl)Also most of north states of Mexico and close to central part,people is becoming bilingual(english-spanish)so...dont'be afraid "Da'truth" this is the result of economical globalization.

The race to save our languages

Tevish Miles, Colombia, South Carolina — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 09:48:41 GMT

Rena, InJM, it's sad to say this but American and British are now almost considered two different langauges.

(Look in places like wikipedia: In fact, here's a link to their article.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_and_British_English_differences

And, we are losing a lot of smaller cultures and langauges... it's quite sad. How many families descended from 1st generation immigrants from Europe do you see speaking Polish, French, Russian or Italian (For example) anymore?

Sure you may see a few but not in the numbers their used to be. I used to live in Florida, Texas, Maine and now in South Carolina, and the only foreign languages I've heard spoken are Somalian and Spanish. (The Somalian is from Refugees who had moved to Lewiston, Maine.) (The Spanish is from Mexican, and Puerto Rican Families.)

Do you know anyone who can speak Sanskrit? No, you probably wouldn't since it is a dead langauge. It's only written, because no one knows how to even pronounce any of the words.

This is what we need to prevent. The loss of langauges and cultures.
Sadly, there just isn't much intrest in non-mainstream languages, so smaller ones are just outpaced.

The race to save our languages

steve smyth — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 10:16:48 GMT

Dearest Linguists...
American = English...DUH!
Thanks!
Get someone from South Boston to read a sentence aloud for you...then get someone from Dacula, Georgia to read the same sentence...if you get the same impression from both, you are amazingly sharp...and probably projecting your own interpretation into the mix.
I have a number of friends from upper, Eastern Penna...the syntax, mixed with Dutch/German inflection, can make any phrase unintelligible..."The ball down fell bouncing"...that's Americanized English.
And so on...
RE the TV sameness...
da...dit...da...dit...da...da...da...dit...
just place various words in the da/dit spaces...that's TV talk...cadence and uptones...with a cardboard smile to let you know how sincere the speaker is...funny thing is...MSNBC is the ultimate purveyor of this sameness...check out an hour of punditry sometime...staccatto bursts trailing off into dulcet tones as the commercial break approaches...
PRESERVE TEXTURE!

The race to save our languages

A. Rob — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 11:40:31 GMT

haha, one race? Honey, you missed the memo, there already IS ONE race: Homo Sapien. We're still just one species.

And good old American? You aware that lingo in the 1920s was significantly different from today's?

I think some people are missing the point here. It's not just that they don't want the language to die, it's that whole different cultures- that is, whole different ways of thinking- would be lost. And it's not that the people are 'choosing' progress. Some of these people have no choice, and changing to a more widely used language doesn't necessarily mean progress.

The race to save our languages

Fred, Revere, Massachusetts — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 12:56:33 GMT

"I don't think of myself as too educated a person, but even I am amazed at the comments regarding "Amercian" and "Mexican" languages. Americans speak ENGLISH (badly, I might add), and Mexicans speak SPANISH."

No, Americans speak "English" differently, not badly. The English language has evolved and diversified quite a bit over the centuries.

The race to save our languages

Jym Allyn — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 13:00:34 GMT

If this was my cell phone, I wd b txtg u th msg so tht u wd undrsd wht i ws syg.

If you think your language is sacred, then you are a fraking idiot.

When technology becomes sufficiently obsolete, it becomes an art form. It is good that linguists are recognizing that in preserving these "obsolete" languages.

And while most people think of Socrates as a philosopher who challenged ("current") social and cultural values (such as the Greek "Gods"), we also fail to realize that he was a "traditionalist" in that he viewed the process of writing (by his students such a Plato) to be a heresy in that only oral words should be used to express and preserve thoughts. Let me be blunt: Socrates could not read and viewed reading and writing to be a heresy.

Ds tht mk u fel btr?

The race to save our languages

... — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 13:56:01 GMT

Well at least no matter what Pig latin will always be around...

The race to save our languages

John P., Houston, TX — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 14:38:15 GMT

As you realize after learning a few, language is only a tool ... the value of rare languages, IMO, is in the mental models, culture, history and thinking techniques that they contain. I'm glad there are linguists trying to preserve these valuable insights. At the same time, let's not forget that the primary purpose of language is simply to allow us to communicate - and languages differences cause very harmful barriers that hold back human progress. There is thus great value in moving towards a few more common "Uber Languages". As the sheer volume of human learning increases, it would be highly inefficient to expect to translate every idea into 7,000 different languages.

The race to save our languages

Rusty Harvilla, Morgantown, WV — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 14:46:59 GMT

What I find astounding about this subject is the way we in the developed world are trying to stifle cultural evolution in the name of "preservation". Usefulness is what maintains cultural elements. When a cultural element is no longer useful for everyday life, be it language, ritual or ceremony, it is relegated to the annals of history. For example, how many outside the ivy covered halls of academia speak Old English or Sanskrit? Very few and that is because these languages are not very useful in today's world. If the languages so many are fretting over losing had everyday value, they would not be on the brink of dying out. Let's face it, languages have been dying out since people began interacting with other groups and despite the "best efforts" of academics, they will continue to do so simply because they have out lived their usefulness.

The race to save our languages

NJ, Guadalupe, CA — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 16:33:27 GMT

One of the answers to preserving dialects and languages is to write them down. If you know of regionalisms where you live, write them in letters to your children and grandchildren, so they will have some exposure to them and can pass them on. Tell stories with your loved ones, trying to use the same phrases that you learned in the stories originally. It is hard to remember exact phrasing, but it can be worth it. Write the story of your life in your own words for posterity. Write down exchanges with friends or "old timers" to help you remember conversational turns of phrase. The younger generations won't have these gems without exposure to them. Record colorful bits of language that you don't want to disappear!

The race to save our languages

Janette, Burbs of Chicago, IL — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 16:47:52 GMT

My thoughts are that globalization has its privileges as well as its sacrifices and that has a direct application in the loss of languages. As areas of the world are gaining access to the resources of the internet, (where their languages are not spoken), assimilation might be the only way to have a voice. Doing business can require a knowledge of language in order to increase or begin commerce exchange in areas not previously exposed to this sort of social interaction.

Additionally, as we are currently in economic perils in the U.S., funding for programs in schools for preservation of shrinking languages likely couldn't be any lower -- just my guess! These are just two indicators of how life today will sadly lose cultural gifts like language as they fade from use.

The race to save our languages

Moriah, Midwest City, Oklahoma — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:09:24 GMT

Why are so many people here insisting that Americans speak bad English? We have our own dialects, just as the British, the Canadians, and the Australians have their own dialects. Who's to say one is worse than the others? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder; just because you can't appreciate Ebonics (or whatever version of English) doesn't make it any lesser.

It seems to me that this mindset, that American English is worse than other dialects, is the same mindset that helps make many languages endangered.

We should appreciate all languages and dialects because they all offer a unique perspective and culture.

The race to save our languages

Vesta, history major, Richland, Missouri — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:25:50 GMT

I agree we should try to preserve them, but I doubt that it will result in the promotion of their use. It is a shame, but as with anything else, people tend to alienate themselves from things that are no longer of any use to them, or that they no longer want to identify with. If it had not been for the posting in antiquity of the ancient laws of the Mesopotamian King Hammurabi on a stone stylist in the various languages of that time, the Egyptian hieroglyphics (which is an extinct language) would never have been understood. This has been the case throughout history. My grandmother alienated herself from her native language when she immigrated from Paris, France in 1914. Unlike her siblings who also immigrated twelve years before her and still spoke a lot of French to one another, she stated that she was now an American and intended to speak like one! To assure her children would be identified as Americans she refused to teach them to speak French aside from a few songs and phrases. At the time she felt that she was doing what was right for them. I believe that this practice will continue, unfortunately, and our languages will continue to evolve albeit regionally for the most part (as is apparent throughout the world) as dialects from one language are added to another. In response to the person from Kentucky; in moving to rural south central Missouri I was confronted by words spoken by my in-laws that were part of their common dialect that I didn't understand. They called it "Hillbilly." As the older folks die off it is rare to here these words incorporated in the younger generations conversations. I personally believe that the "English" spoken in the USA should be labeled "American" instead of "English" as it has borrowed words from every ethnicity from Native American words to those of all of the immigrants that have moved here. If nothing else it should be labeled "American English."

The race to save our languages

Bob K — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 13:29:41 GMT

I visited Ocracoke Island off of North Carolina on business about 10 years ago. Many of the "old timers" there speak with a distinctly English accent. I've heard that linguists have gone there to study "Old English".

The race to save our languages

Sciart, CO for now — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 17:13:39 GMT

I don't know that trying to preserve ALL of the languages out there is a worthwhile endeavor. Anyone who's bilinual can attest to the usefulness of knowing another language no matter which it is, however perhaps while it's a shame that some languages die, it's a normal and natural part of linguistic evolution. The manner in which we speak changes over time much the way technology changes over time, and who here would argue that it's more efficient to use a 486 under the hood of your desktop? I know it's more than mechanical efficiency, language is art, but will there ever be a lack of art in whatever language we speak?

The race to save our languages

Nate, Jenkintown, PA — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 22:43:00 GMT

Old "Mexica", also known as Nahuatl, is actually one of the most widely spoken indigenous languages in the Americas. The historical Aztec language, spread across Mexico by Aztec imperialism in the centuries prior to the arrival of the conquistadors, Nahuatl (or a dialect of it) is spoken by over 1.5 million people, 200,000 of whom do not speak any other language. It is not presently in grave danger of extinction. Other widely spoken languages in Mexico include Yucatec Maya, spoken by nearly 1 million in the Yucatan; various dialects of Zapotec (750,000 speakers), Mixtec (550,000 speakers), Chinantec (225,000), and Mazatec (200,000 speakers) spoken in Oaxaca and nearby states; Otomi (300,000) and Mazahua (350,000) in central Mexico; and Tzotzil and Tzeltal, Mayan languages spoken in Chiapas. Each of these languages and their various dialects are at risk, but a growing bilingual education movement in Mexico is going to great lengths to preserve indigenous languages and cultures.

The race to save our languages

Gerhard, Atlanta, GA — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 23:58:09 GMT

After reading some of the comments above (not all) I'm not convinced that humanity, never mind its languages, should be saved. If we find time to post argumentative and weakly reasoned sentiments about something so integral to a human being as his or her mother tongue, I doubt if there can be agreement on anything important.
Our post modern malaise is that people have nothing to say, and they insist on saying it in public.
As someone whose own language is under attakc, here's my post: God bless the linguists in their critically important work. Period.

The race to save our languages

Jimmy Ray, Wolfforth , Texas — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 05:54:56 GMT

"American" might be bad english, Americans might be bad people, but EVERYBODY seems to want to be here.

The race to save our languages

me, AR — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:52:03 GMT

While I am unquestionably proud of my country and its melting pot culture, I find it rather disheartening that the American culture is winning out over so many others. I understand that the U.S. is a cultural powerhouse, but the degradation and possible eventual loss of so many languages and so much culture because of the influences of mindless drivel such as is found in various forms of American media is borderline sickening. I don't have a solution for this - there may not be one. But as a third generation member of a Sicilian immigrant family, it saddens me that I never learned the Sicilian dialect from my grandparents before they died, and it irks me to know that the text message generation is likely going to be responsible for it. If only there were a way to encourage other cultures to resist the American culture...

The race to save our languages

Del — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:08:37 GMT

I think the world should speak just one language.

The race to save our languages

Arwen, Cincinnati — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:03:49 GMT

If language quits changing, evolving and growing, it dies. Every generation sighs at disgust at the language skills of those that follow. Language MUST evolve whether for good or bad. I think that the future of present day language can be seen in the cancelled TV show Firefly. It will more than likely be a bastardized version of English and Chinese.

The race to save our languages

Sanskritophile,Houston, TX — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 19:21:41 GMT

@Tevish Miles, Colombia, South Carolina

Yes, I do speak Sanskrit - quite fluently. So does my 3 year old child. I help teach a “Speak Sanskrit” class every Sunday to a small but diverse group in the Houston area.

In 25 years, an estimated 7 million people have learned to speak Sanskrit though classes offered by “Samskrita Bharati” in India, USA and other countries.

Christian Science Monitor ran a 3-page story on this silent revival of ancient language:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0705/p14s02-lihc.html

The race to save our languages

Aarti Kamath, Bangalore, India — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:44:34 GMT

The discussion seems to be really great!
Saving languages can never happen. Just like someone said, those are nothing but a phase in the lifecycle of the LANGUAGE EVOLUTION. However, it is always good to know as many languages as possible. It may not be possible for us to master them, but we can obviously learn a little bit of many things. This would be a small attempt to keep the culture going.

Languages are simply a lot more than mementos for Human Civilization. Every form of linguistic communication needs respect. Everyone who steps into this world brings in some contribution to the art of language, no matter which it is! Languages are evolutionary. Don't ever underestimate one against other. You never know what could be expressed in one language may essentially not be easy in the other.

The race to save our languages

Robert — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:57:32 GMT

Every language is English...once English speakers get hold of it.

Anything we like from a language, we take, reshape, and make our own. "Adios" might as well be put into an English dictionary, common as it has become.

In a generation or ten, whatever our decendants speak, well it won't be the same as we speak now. I'd wager my bottom dollar they'll still call it "English" however.

Its not a bad thing for one culture to absorb another, its a natural thing. And more often than not that absorbed culture brings something to the absorbing culture, adding to its richness and allowing it to thrive and grow. Every aspect of our culture has a predecessor in some other that sparked it, from the wings on angels. (Images of angels bearing wings do not exist until after the Jewish captivity in Babylon, a location where art frequently placed wings on deities & demideities) right down to the Honeymoon (the term refers to a near eastern custom wherein the father in law of a married couple would present a large sum of mead [a honey based alcoholic beverage] to the groom 1 month after the wedding, as their month was lunar, it came to be known as the honeymoon...which comes down to us today in its present form refering to the period shortly after the wedding itself.)

Enjoy the richness of our culture, borrow elements from those we like, leave something richer for those who come after.

Cultures that isolate themselves to protect themselves will grow stagnant and die...or adapt, involve themselves in the world, and grow.

The race to save our languages

or,tel aviv,israel — Wed, 06 May 2009 00:07:06 GMT

saving languages is a great idea, so many people,so many languages,also we have a lot programing languages.