Start networking and exchanging professional insights

Register now or log in to join your professional community.

Follow

Do you think languages can die? And why would they die?

user-image
Question added by Sarah Ali , Senior Evaluation Specialist , United Nations
Date Posted: 2016/05/30
Shahul  Hameed Mohammad
by Shahul Hameed Mohammad , Human Resources Generalist (HR Generalist) , S A CO

Language may die when there is no speakers for that particular language or when people abandon one language for another. But we never hear any language comes to an end. There are chances of some languges come to an end when it is not used as mother tongue and used as regional language which have other alternative languages. Languges are born and shaped as per man's communication needs as we have history of languages where many words have been added and modifies as most of the languages have its old version and new one. 

مها شرف
by مها شرف , معلمة لغة عربية , وزارة التربية السورية

  I agree with Mr Shahul answers, thanks for the invitation. .

Gayasuddin Mohammed
by Gayasuddin Mohammed , Advocate , Practicing Law before High Court at Hyderabad

Fully agree with Ms.Ghada and Mr. Shahul Hameed's valuable points and fact remains the same for the reason of languages getting die. Thanks.

Farhana Siddique Fari
by Farhana Siddique Fari , Coordinator , Coordinator at DFA, Dr Fazeela Abbasi, Advanced Skin, Laser & Hair Institute, Islamabad.

I totally agree with Mr. Shahul Hameed Mohammad's viewpoint.

Ghada Eweda
by Ghada Eweda , Medical sales hospital representative , Pfizer pharmaceutical Plc.

Unfortunately yeah the language would die.

Based on history of the world's languages , it is largely would be lost and declined. At around 8000 BC, linguists estimate that upwards of 20,000 languages may have been in existence, today the number stands at 6,909 and is declining rapidly, while by 2100, it is quite realistic to expect that half of these languages will die, their last speakers might die, their words perhaps archived somewhere, but more likely undocumented entirely.

Why would the language die

That would happen when one become the last speaker of a language or when languages come to be spoken only by elders and not children! One of possible causes is globalization, ,the division of labor, or the adoption of similar cultural practices across the globe, it is the result, not a cause, of language decline. Another cause is trade and capitalism, indeed trade does not kill languages any more than it kills any other type of cultural practice, like painting or music! Trade enhances the exchange of cultural practices historically, regional trade has fostered the creation of many new lingua francas, most importantly, what both of reasons overlook is that speaking a global language or a language of trade does not necessitate the abandonment of one's mother tongue.

Ideally, the average person on this planet masters three or four languages . As Must youth in Japan abandon Japanese in order to partake in global English commerce? Must a business executive in Germany stop speaking German to her kids in order to be successful at her English-speaking office! Why bother giving up one language for another when you can just speak both? That's a fact even for me , my mom is a Turkish native and dad is Arabic native and we communicate almost in English! That is one reason which wipe out a language, what prevent my parents from speaking with their native language to daughter is that they have two different native languages, so we all communicate in English! conversely, some people don't "give up" the languages they learn in their youth, they tend to speak those languages either until they die or they no longer have someone to speak them with! But that's not my case. Instead, languages are lost when the process of intergenerational transmission is altered or interrupted.

They die all the history of mankind. They die now. Why? Because people who spoke them alos die 

If people still alive, will not die languages, because people continue to speak languages, and use them in their daily lives

That's impossible ! A lot of languages exists nowadays and with the globalisation phenmène they still appearing actually. Speak many languages become an advantage that people try to pick on so it is really important to learn them by the way it allows us to communicate all over the world with different kind of people

sakina kounni
by sakina kounni , agent commercial , bois pétrifie agence de voyage et tourisme

dying language,while not exposed to exercise

ahmed abdallah
by ahmed abdallah , Language Instructor , King Saud University

Definitely.

Languages die when nobody speaks them as their mothe tongue

i am  speak to basics english.

 

More Questions Like This

Do you need help in adding the right keywords to your CV? Let our CV writing experts help you.