Why is it important to save endangered languages?

Studying indigenous languages therefore benefits environmental understanding and conservation efforts. Studying various languages also increases our understanding of how humans communicate and store knowledge. Every time a language dies, we lose part of the picture of what our brains can do.

Why is it important to preserve native languages?

“Saving indigenous languages is crucial to ensure the protection of the cultural identity and dignity of indigenous peoples and safeguard their traditional heritage,” said Professor Megan Davis, Chair of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The importance of languages cannot be undervalued.

Why some languages are disappearing?

Most languages, though, die out gradually as successive generations of speakers become bilingual and then begin to lose proficiency in their traditional languages. This often happens when speakers seek to learn a more-prestigious language in order to gain social and economic advantages or to avoid discrimination.

What do we lose when a language dies?

Because language discloses cultural and historical meaning, the loss of language is a loss of that link to the past. Without a link to the past, people in a culture lose a sense of place, purpose and path; one must know where one came from to know where one is going.

Why are languages disappearing?

How can we prevent language death?

Factors that prevent language death

1. There must be a dominant culture that favors linguistic diversity.
2. The endangered community must possess an ethnic identity that is strong enough to encourage language preservation.
3. The creation and promotion of programs that educate students on the endangered language and culture.

What do the linguists worry about when it comes to endangered languages?

A worry that older speakers voice in The Linguists is that younger generations will not learn their heritage language and that this will precipitate the loss of their group’s history and culture.