Linguists estimates, the world about 70,000 a variety of languages, but a new study found that among nearly half of the language is in to the brink of extinction. These languages of the century probably disappear, and disappear at a very fast rate. Now, every two weeks that has a kind of language disappears, exceeded part birds, mammals, fish and plants extinct speed. The new study, published in the latest edition of the American national geographic proceedings.
This is a continuous 3 ~ 4 years of long-term research projects. American swarthmore college linguistics assistant professor David harrison, language, director Gregory Anderson and the national geographic society filmmakers people Chris Rainier team composed of a, in recent years to many parts of the world, they visited the purpose is to identify and record endangered languages rather than dialect. They face-to-face interview minority can speak these will be disappearing language people, records of their conversation, and collect the basic vocabulary, language, etc.
According to the New York times reported on September 18, the team members for journalists held a remote video conferencing, presented their findings. They point out, because only a few people use, some language is rapidly disappearing, while others language is in can speak two languages culture gradually disappear, in bilingual teaching of culture, the local language school, market and television dominant position in the language of the annihilation.
The study to identify the world language disappear the fastest five hotspots, Australia's northern territory, South America, North America in the Pacific coast north region, eastern Siberia and Oklahoma southwest. All these places have been living to use different languages aborigine, but these aboriginal number is in reducing among.
Harrison in remote TV conference, says the world more than half of the language is not written form (characters), "very easy to disappear and by forgetting". When these language disappears, they left no dictionary, textbooks, also did not leave to accumulate knowledge and has vanished culture record.
In Australia, there are about 231 kind of native language in danger of extinction, including some language only a few people can speak. In northern Australia, researchers have contact with the three known can speak MaGa topic language in western Australia, they contacted 3 can speak jas lu language. Anderson said, in July, they in Australia's northern area only met a can speak Amurdag language, the language has announced disappeared, he said: "it is probably never recover language, but at least we has recorded its voice."
Research indicates that in the andes and the amazon basin area exists 113 kinds of languages, but these languages are rapidly by Spanish or Portuguese such as the dominant local language replace, for instance, in these areas, a think-tank Carla tile and groups will have Spanish or cover QiuYa language as a daily talk, but will Carla tile and language as a secret language concerned, in the knowledge exchange of medicinal plants use only. Harrison said: "after 400 years, why these languages in only few people use of the circumstances to preserved, how are they saved? It was a mystery."
In the Pacific northwest, English highland domination of the 54 species of threat of native languages exist, the region including Canada of British Columbia shing American Washington state and Oregon, including some language only one individual can speak, more language only in Oregon reservation to use.
Have 40 languages still in American Oklahoma, Texas, and new Mexico use, for the most part language was originally used by the Indian tribes, others are introduced by the east of the nations, but these tribes were forced to live in reservation, and several languages are already in the dying state.
Harrison said, an alternative measure unknown language index is: only 83 languages are "global" influence, because they are the world 80% of the people for ac and writing, while the vast majority language endangered faster than birds, mammals, fish and plants.