Endangered
Languages
- Student 1 :
-
How many languages/are there/in
the world?
- Linguist :
-
There are about 7,000.
But about 40% of them/are
endangered languages.
One of them is Arta/in the
Philippines.
Arta people live/on Luzon
Island.
There are only about 15 people/who speak the language
fluently.
- S1 :
-
Can you tell me more/about Arta?
- L :
-
Traditionally,/Arta people
are hunters.
So/they have several words/which express types of hunting.
For example,/the word “bugay ”/means to go hunting/with hunting dogs.
The word “purab ”/means to go hunting/without dogs.
- S1 :
-
That’s interesting.
- L :
-
Language is tightly connected/with people’s
lifestyles.
- S2 :
-
Can you give more examples/of endangered
languages?
- L :
-
Sure.
Tsimshian is an example from Canada.
It is a language/which one of the indigenous peoples speak.
This language has a word “ts’iwox .”
It means/to eat snacks/before
going to bed.
- S2 :
-
That sounds fun!
- L :
-
Traditionally,/Tsimshian people live by fishing/and have an early
dinner.
After dinner,/they often talk/with their family or friends/until late.
When they become hungry,/they eat snacks,/including seafood.
- S2 :
-
I see.
How many speakers are there?
- L :
-
Only about 100 speakers remain/because many Tsimshian people use English/instead of their own language.
This shows/major languages influence
speakers/of minority languages.
- L :
-
We have some endangered languages/in Japan.
One of them/is the Ainu
language.
There are at least 13,000 Ainu people/in Japan,/but only a few of them/are fluent Ainu speakers.
- S3 :
-
Yes.
I have heard of the Ainu word “iyomante ”,/but I don’t know the
meaning.
- L :
-
“Iyomante ” is a
ceremony/to send the soul of a bear/to heaven.
Ainu people catch a young bear/and raise it/as a god.
After two years,/they share the meat/as a gift for humans/and pray to nature.
- S3 :
-
So/the word includes a lot of things.
- L :
-
That’s right.
Even a single word/can express complex cultural traditions.
In their own language,/Ainu people can fully express/what they value/in their culture.
- S4 :
-
Why do we have so many endangered languages?
- L :
-
First,/there are economic
reasons.
For example,/to get a good job,/speakers of a minority language/often need to speak
a major language/like English.
- S4 :
-
I see.
Are there any other reasons?
- L :
-
There are political and social reasons,/too.
For example,/when Japanese is the official language,/speakers of a minority language/need to use
Japanese/in many places/such as public offices and schools.
- S4 :
-
Can we do something/to save endangered
languages?
- L :
-
Yes.
In New Zealand,/the Maori language is taught/at school.
Now,/more people are learning the language.
So/it is possible for us/to
increase the number of speakers.
We can save endangered languages,/and promote cultural diversity/as well.