Received: 10-Jul-2022, Manuscript No. GJMSSR-22-74193; Editor assigned: 04-Jul-2022, Pre QC No. GJMSSR-22-74193(PQ); Reviewed: 18-Jul-2022, QC No. GJMSSR-22-74193; Revised: 25-Jul-2022, Manuscript No. GJMSSR-22-74193(R); Published: 02-Aug-2022, DOI: 15651/2408-5511.22.7.043
According to linguists, one language disappears every two weeks, and we are currently seeing a mass extinction of languages. These extinct languages frequently belong to indigenous people. Languages are much more than just spoken or written words and sentences; they are also a way for civilizations, knowledge, and customs to be passed down the generations. Losing these languages would be a significant loss to our collective human legacy. There are 6,700 languages spoken in the globe, and 40% of them are in risk of extinction, according to the UNESCO Atlas of Languages in Danger. Despite their tremendous significance, languages around the world continue to perish at an alarming rate.
Languages can become severely endangered or even go extinct for a variety of reasons. People frequently abandon their mother tongue in favor of the language that is spoken more frequently in their surroundings. Language shift is a term used to describe this. Due to the pressure on refugees to fit in with the norms of their new society, this is particularly pertinent to them. In order to adapt and conform, they start using more of the local language and less of their mother tongue. Similar effects of globalization include the loss of one language in favor of the more prevalent and widely used lingua franca as a result of economic considerations.
Languages have also been brought dangerously close to extinction by historical events. The Canadian government forcefully separated Indigenous children from their families in the 19th century and sent them to residential schools. These institutions represented a concerted effort to eliminate Indigenous culture and language through aggressive assimilation. Children were brutally punished for using their native tongues, which led to linguistic genocide and the extinction of numerous Indigenous languages. Canada is only one illustration. Other countries have also enacted draconian laws to repress language, such as the Russification of Russia or the Kurdish language prohibition in Turkey.
Numerous activities are being carried out in order to preserve languages as the rate of language loss is escalating dramatically. Children in communities where languages are at danger of extinction are being included in language learning programmers. For the purpose of educating their members about the histories of these endangered languages, other communities organize gatherings, seminars, and workshops. There are numerous organizations whose only focus is the preservation of endangered languages. By gathering audio and video recordings and building archives, linguists from all over the world are sent out on assignment by the Endangered Languages Documentation Programmed to document endangered languages. Wikitongues offers an online database of lexical documents, videos, and audio files for languages spoken all over the world. Additionally, users can submit more films to their website, which will support the documentation and revitalization of languages.
There are various viewpoints on how to preserve a language. One strategy is to support younger generations in learning the language so that when they mature, they will pass it down to their offspring. This choice is frequently all but impossible. A language is frequently endangered by a variety of circumstances, and it is impossible to regulate all of these elements to assure the language's survival.
The challenges of language extinction and language preservation can be made more widely known online. It can be used to give information and access to languages, as well as translate and categorise many languages. . The spoken forms of languages can be preserved using new technologies like podcasts, and written records can be utilized to preserve knowledge about the native literature and linguistics of languages. 65%-70% of all internet information, according to the multinational internet service provider VeriSign, is written in English. It can also present issues when information about the native literature and languages is preserved through written records. The mere fact that a language has been recorded does not guarantee its survival. Books and manuscripts that contain written information are susceptible to security challenges, acid problems, binding issues, and problems with environmental monitoring.
Technology can be used to maintain the authenticity of spoken languages. Spoken languages can be preserved using many of the same methods used to record oral history. To record spoken narratives of languages, preservationists can utilize reel-to-reel audio tape recordings, video recordings, and emerging technologies like podcasts. Technology is susceptible to emerging technologies. If it becomes impossible to see or listen to specific material, such as audio or video tapes, preservation attempts would be unsuccessful.
Language repositories are essential to long-term language preservation initiatives, as explained in the "Reference Guide for Establishing Archives and Repositories" released by the Administration for Native Americans. The book outlines what should be preserved and why, describes language repositories and how to establish them, as well as their expenses, and provides alternative resources for building archives and repositories.