The Language Killers

Why are languages that have been used for hundreds or even thousands of years suddenly disappearing from our earth? What can be done to preserve a language?

Today, we can almost count the dominant languages on one hand.  These are English, Spanish, French and (different dialects of) Chinese. These are the common languages that huge numbers of people all over the world speak.   The reason for the spread of these languages is that throughout recent history, the countries where these languages originated have conquered land, spread their ideas, and distributed their wealth.  

Chinese is rapidly becoming more widely spoken because individuals around the world see that China has a growing economy. They believe that in the future, knowing Chinese will help people make money by “doing business” in China.

This example is similar to the way the Banto language took over Africa in the first century BCE.  The Banto speaking villages, around present-day Nigeria, were the "center of a region and in time set standards of values." Because of this, the non-Banto speaking villages began learning Banto and fusing it with their native languages.  In time, Banto was the leading language in of Africa.

At the other end of the spectrum, some languages have died out because they are not seen as being useful. A language that nearly vanished is Yiddish.  Yiddish is a mix of German and Hebrew.  Few people speak Yiddish today because many Yiddish speakers were killed in World War II.  There are still some communities that speak Yiddish but there aren't many young people who are trying to keep Yiddish alive. Most people are trying to learn a much more practical language like English or Spanish or Chinese.

The spread of universal languages can be a positive progression for our world because it allows people everywhere to communicate and understand eachother.  However, the downside is that these languages are taking the place of languages that have been used by societies by hundreds to even thousands of years.  

How are communities able to save the languages that their ancestors have used for generations in a world where major languages are taking over?

I believe that there needs to be more of a push for young individuals to learn languages that tie them to their “cultural” roots.  Though it may seem challenging and unnecessary from the perspective of future economic opportunities, it is important for one to keep part of his culture alive.  If more young individuals were interested in learning Yiddish, then maybe Yiddish would live on for longer.  I fear that in a hundred years, there will be as many languages spoken in the world as one can count on his fingers.