Neolithic Objects: Ancient Language, Engraved Stones found in Glozel (8000-10,000 BC)
10,000 years ago the population was between 5 and 10 million
Leading anthropologists estimate that nearly 12,000 languages (or more) were spoken at that time.
Today our population is 6.5 billion
Approximately 7,000 languages are spoken today
At this rate in 100 years from now, in the year 2108, only 2,500 languages may be spoken.
One language goes extinct every month.
In lecture you may have heard me comment on these facts: "While it is important, for the sake of biodiversity to have a variety of languages spoken, what about the fact that more people are communicating?" This may not be a fact at all- sadly, we are loosing many indigenous cultures.
What does this mean?
What do you think about this data and the potential future of lost languages?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAnastassia Fulmer
ReplyDeleteDec. 2, 2009
ADP III-Joe Trumpey
GSI: Ashley Leiber
Language Lost
When thinking about the idea that a language dies every month it makes me a little sad. Language characterizes a person, who they are and where they come from. With language disappearing we lose individuality and heritage. There are some benefits of this but in the long run how does losing the massive of diversity of languages change our world?
Nowadays every one is talking to each other; there are larger phone towers and Internet that connects us to people on the other side of the world. This concept in itself could be the reason for the loss of language. It has though in fact created new languages such as the emoticon and other cyber talk to abbreviate the English language. The Internet has also allowed easier access to learn other languages and translate other languages using things like Google translate and other free sites. Technology has taken down the language barrier that used to be in place when the world first started.
Whether this is a good or bad thing cannot be judged because nothing like this has necessarily happened before. Language and diversity has caused much controversy in the world. Not understanding another person because of their differences in language has led to wars. In theory if everyone understood one language there would be less arguments and the world would be a better place. On the other hand it could lead to the death of many cultures. Many different cultures, such as Chinese and Jewish, have a strong connection to their language. To lose language could mean the death of these and many other cultures. But like many other things in the human world it is almost better to let it run its course because there is not a whole lot you can do about changing the course of what is bound to happen.
Weekly Comment 10
ReplyDeleteSamantha Levy
Hearing about the loss of languages and indigenous cultures makes me think about the AMCULT class I am currently taking, called Museums & The Pacific, which discusses representation of Pacific cultures and how they are affected by forces such as colonialism. We have talked a lot about language and how in some places, such as Papua New Guinea, there are hundreds of different languages spoken. Much of the culture in the Pacific is defined by intangible heritage, which includes oral histories and stories, which can only be preserved with language. If languages are changing and disappearing, we are losing fragments of the past.
Will this constant loss of language eventually lead us to take further steps in preserving language? While it seems like we have everything documented and stored away, if we lose the meaning of words, then we lose the meaning of these documents. Language is a defining element of culture, and much like lost oral histories, we may also lose entire cultures in general.
I am curious as to whether or not language loss is due to our new methods of mass communication. If the entire world is required to speak English, or some other language, in order to communicate via the Internet, does this mean that people will forget their native language? I know that many families that have come here from other countries choose to speak their native language at home. One family I know in particular requires their children to speak their native language at home not only so that they remember the language, but also so they are reminded of their native land. If these families didn’t remind themselves of their first language, would they also lose some of the culture of their homeland?
The loss of language contributes to the loss of culture, and both will create less diversity in the human race. Language is part of our personal identity and if we keep allowing them to disappear, we will slowly become less individual from one another.
Sam Schulman
ReplyDeletePost #12
Languages are a key component in a culture. Not only is it a way to communicate and to pass down traditions, stories, and more, it encompasses behaviors significant to one’s place of origin. The exponential decrease in the number of languages is both reflective of the current times but a subject that needs to be of concern. As more countries westernize and give into global trends, especially normally traditional places such as China, in order to increase exports and imports made with westernized nations in order to develop their economies, cultures are becoming mixed. Yes, it is important for a country’s economic development to be able to trade and to cooperate with people from other nations, and communicating in a common language does this, but it is detrimental in many traditional aspects of cultures. Soon, there will be little tradition left but rather communication via the Internet and a disconnect with generations past. On the other hand, as the number of languages decrease, the amount of discrimination will most likely decrease too. On the Internet, phone, or through travels, people are more likely to communicate with each other and to exchange ideas and more. While country organization will be hindered and ethnic lines will be blurred, the decrease in languages can lead to a more united globe. Though this is a nice theory, a united globe, even with a common language would still never quite be united.
I'm not sure this is such a bad thing. Yes, a lot of beautiful languages will be lost but what does that really matter in the long run? I think it is more important to have a more universal form of communication than have 2,500 languages spoken around the world. Most likely the languages that people even know about wont be lost. The romance languages will still remain along with a lot of middle eastern and asian languages. I think the only languages we're really going to be losing are the ones that resinate in the confines of small tribes mainly in africa, which, quite honestly, dont really matter to me. I couldn't care less because chances are, during the the vast majority of everyone's lifetimes, we wont even hear the name of the language to know it exists let alone get to hear it spoken or learn it. Like you said, by losing all these little pointless languages, we will develop a broader source of global communication which seems to be a bigger problem than we think and i'm not just talking about linguistically though it certainly may have something to do with it. The lack of understanding of each others cultures leads to violence, hatred, and war. I think we could sacrifice a few languages for a lot more peace, something important in the long run that the world truly needs.
ReplyDeleteWeekly Response 12
ReplyDeleteLanguage Lost
While the fact that one language is lost per month may seem a little shocking at first, I do not believe it is all tragedy. There are many facets to this calculation of the rate at which we are losing languages as a civilization. Like many other estimations, the estimation that “At this rate in 100 years from now, the year 2108, only 2,500 languages may be spoken” is most likely inaccurate, just considering that these rates will not remain constant and eventually plateau. Thus, the number of languages spoken should not ever reach anywhere near 0. Perhaps more people will become bi and trilingual, but I do not think that languages will continue to decline.
While hearing about this phenomenon, I remembered The Tower of Babel, a biblical story in Genesis. Up until this point in the Bible, the whole world spoke one language. The men decided to build a skyscraper that would reach Heaven, God saw that this skyscraper to heaven would lead people away from Him. In turn, God caused the people all over the earth to speak different languages from each other. He did this because he realized the power and force their unity made possible. This could be proof that if we continue to lose languages at rates that we are, chaos could ensue. Everyone would be able to communicate with everyone, perhaps those language barriers are what keep us in check. Nonetheless, clearly the whole world was meant to be diverse and speak different languages. A lack of languages or break down barriers between cultures and possibly lead to depletion in cultural diversity. I feel like countries would unify and combine belief systems.
Weekly Statement #12
ReplyDeleteI think the question of whether or not the loss of languages would provide better communication between the people of the world is a great question to think about. It seems reasonable to think that less confusing translating would equal better communication and therefore an easier and better way to work together as a whole to combat the environmental issues of the world.
It makes me wonder, however, how much culture is being lost with the loss of languages. If it were just the languages that were depleting, I don’t think it would be such a concern, but if a lot more cultural heritage, such as cultural dress and living styles, is also being lost, I think this could turn into a bigger issue. If cultures in developing nations are starting to speak languages of developed nations, then will they in turn start to be even more influenced by developed nations in other aspects of living styles? Will they start to dress more like western cultures or be greedier with their possessions?
I think diversity is very important and I think learning about many different cultures is equally important. I wish we could become more unified with language, but remain a very diverse world in most all other aspects. I did not know the extent of how many different languages there were in the world today. 7,000 is a huge number for such a thing, and translating all of these would be overwhelming. When Joe Trumpey said that in 100 years from now, only 2,500 languages would be spoken, I still thought this was an unusually high number. I think that reducing this number still would make things a lot easier, but again, I hope that other cultural differences still remain.
Weekly Statement 12
ReplyDeleteI think that the loss of languages speaks to the globalization of Western culture. Language is an important part of culture and a defining aspect of culture. Some languages are said to be more graceful than others or more refined. I think that language and the way that people communicate with each other is one of the biggest defining parts of culture because it shows what different cultures find value in. Language can show whether or not they value family, religion, power, etc. I think that language shows the care that people have for each other and the care that they have for their own culture. When people of different cultures pass down stories that shows that they find the history of their people important.
The loss of language shows how understanding other cultures is becoming more important than understanding one’s own culture. This speaks to the globalization of the world and how expansion has influenced different cultures. In the United States there are languages offered at throughout children’s schooling but in most schools it is not required. In many countries in Europe children learn one, two or three languages in their regular schooling. I think that is partially because the countries in Europe are smaller and boarders are closer together making travel easier. But English is becoming a language that is known worldwide because of the power and strength of the United States.
I think that rather than having one country be the powerhouse that everyone wants to try to emulate the powerhouse should be a country who can adapt to other countries. Learning new languages helps you learn your own language and also helps you to communicate better in both languages. I think that communication is one of the most important parts of human existence. So learning other languages should be more important than everyone learning to communicate in one universal language. With people learning languages from different cultures they also learn about that culture and become more understanding of the differences between those cultures. I think that the human population would be better if this happened because knowledge is one of the most important parts of development. With the learning of different languages and cultures we could all communicate our opinions and beliefs and people would have a better understanding of those opinions and beliefs. As a result I think we would have a more peaceful planet.
Weekly Statement #13
ReplyDeleteI think that honestly we are communicating a lot more than ever in history, but in a different manner. We are slowly loosing the ability to form legitimate conversations with one another. Our world has moved to technology as almost a must in creating a gap between human beings and language barriers. These statistics brought up in lecture are completely insane to me, though with out and prior knowledge on the subject, it makes a lot of sense. We as creative beings are always coming up with new ways in which to make our lives easier, and having to take less time and energy to speak is actually something we have I think played a huge part in. We have created these items such as cell phones with texting ability, emailing, computer sites such as facebook, and Myspace, and many others that have taken the actual act of talking off the table. Face to face language is extremely important to the development and conservation of a language. As infants we learn to speak by not only hearing people around us but by seeing the movements of their mouths and faces as they speak. With out this vital connection how can we be expected to have a language strive. At this rate we could have people right out of the womb using technology to connect with people rather than actually speaking with one another and could eventually have our language die out all together. I like what Anastassia was saying about how language characterizes a person, and who they are, because I feel like that is very true. I took a class last semester called “Ecotourism and Trophy Hunting”, and it taught me about the natives of Hawaii and how they have had to change their language in order to get tourists to keep traveling there. One native even spoke of how there are so few people on the islands that actually know true Hawaiian that it was dying out slowly. This dying of language is happening at such a rapid rate that I’m sure there is much that we can really do to stop it, if there is, we certainly should try and put that idea into effect before it is to late and we all are a forgotten culture, and will run into the problem of lack of diversity like Sam was saying. I don’t know about everyone else, but I want to keep my individuality, and take pride in it.
I believe that the extinction of languages is a prime example of how cultures are beginning to impact one another more than they ever have before. We are globalizing. If an event happens in the United States, it inevitably will affect another country to some degree. I think that the lessening of different languages is good in regards to our relations with other countries. A language provides a common ground. When people speak the same language, they begin on the same playing field. They have an understanding of each other, and an innate willingness to work together even if they are from different places. There is life in language. For people from all over to be able to speak the same language, they are able to share certain vivaciousness with each other.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I believe that there is a beauty and understanding in acknowledging differences, especially those that come in the form of different languages. My family is part of a Ukrainian Orthodox church. Although only about a hundred people attend this church, about six different languages are spoken. Important prayers are said by the priest in the different languages of the parishioners. He says these not because there is a language barrier, but to acknowledge everyone’s background and culture as they come together in one place for one goal. I think that there is also importance in acknowledging different languages, and letting this acknowledgement become the common ground.
Response 13
ReplyDeleteLanguage Lost
Just like the importance of diversity of living things, the diversity of culture and language in the world are just as important. As described in the blog there has recently been an enormous decrease in the number of languages being spoken on the planet today- which is strange because people are now communicating with each other more than ever due to social networking sites on the internet, new phone technology and email. NPR recently had a news article about how new words have been added to the oxford English dictionary, unfortunately they are words like “unfriend”- which pertain to facebook and myspace social sites. I feel as if the English has taken a turn for the worse. Language has deteriorated so much in many cultures. I personally have seen the descent of the English language in the United States. http://topics.npr.org/article/08ZMba23VJ4tH
Globalization, trade and industry have contributed a great deal to the decline in the number of human languages. Because more countries trade overseas with each other it is required that there be communication with one another through a common language. I use a site omegle.com from time to time and often talk to strangers from India, China and Indonesia- all who know English quite well. I always ask how they know English so well and the typical response is because that they have been learning it since elementary school. It is completely absurd that I cannot speak a word of Chinese and apparently a good deal of schools in China require children to start learning English from an early age. Dominate countries like the United States basically make it necessary for other countries to learn our main language- English- in order for interactions to occur. Humans have a rare opportunity that other animals on this planet do not have- we have the ability to have an infinite amount of language, culture and ideals, however this ability is not being utilized and culture is becoming more similar and less diverse. Humans need a revival of education of culture, language and science. Just like rebuilding populations of animals and plants, the construction/ revival of language and culture must start with education.
Alexis Newton
ReplyDeleteWeekly Statement #12
Language Lost
The fact that one language is lost every month is pretty astonishing to me. When I first started thinking about this topic, it was hard for me to see how losing languages is related to our society and the environment. I could not think past the discussion of just the loss of languages.
It wasn’t until I thought about how important the English language is in the American culture, that I realized the significance. With the loss of a language, there comes the loss of entire cultures. I could only try to imagine what it would be like to have the English language become extinct, and I cannot imagine it because there are so many people that speak it and call it such a main part of their culture and everyday lives – Americans are part of a dominant culture, we are a 1st world country.
The languages that are being lost are languages that originated very long ago, and with the losing of those languages, different ideas and ways in which those people lived their lives and interacted with the environment are lost as well.
In discussion, we talked about the difference between the impact of 1st world and 3rd world countries on our earth. 1st world countries have the most negative impact on the environment, and thus the most negative interactions with nature and the environment. If we could learn from traditional and 3rd world countries the ways in which they interact and respect the natural environments where they come from, we could reduce our impact to be closer to that of a 3rd world country’s.
I don’t think that languages will continue to become extinct after a certain point. I know that many more people now as compared to in the past are becoming bilingual and trilingual. With this happening, I think that eventually the amount of languages that are still alive and known will level out.
Hopefully we are able to learn what we can from the cultures that contain these many languages before they could be lost, and then maybe we can learn to interact with the environment and nature in a more sustainable way.