This essay was first published in the 2017 edition of Voices of USU.

IT IS INCREDIBLY EASY TO ASSUME one language is superior to another because more people speak it. About a month ago, I overheard part of a phone conversation; the caller looked down in frustration at her phone as she had to dial a number to continue, saying, “I shouldn’t have to press ‘1’ to continue in English. We live in America; you should assume I want English.” We may think it harmless to have such thoughts, or even that we are correct in assuming people should assimilate to the majority language, but it is exactly this kind of thinking that leads to language endangerment, and eventually, extinction.

Of the 6,000 plus languages in the world, about half of them are endangered of becoming extinct (Austin and Sallabank 313; Turin 846). Lisa Evans, writer for The Guardian, documented over 2,000 endangered languages and 244 languages that are already extinct (Evans). Of the endangered languages, she placed them into four categories based on the transmission rate (how quickly the language is shared). She offers this key for understanding the severity of endangerment:

• 4 Vulnerable: most children speak the language, but it may be restricted to certain domains (e.g., home)
• 4 Definitely endangered: children no longer learn the language as a mother tongue in the home
• 4 Severely endangered: language is spoken by grandparents and older generations; while the parent generation may understand it, they do not speak it to children or among themselves
• 4 Critically endangered: the youngest speakers are grandparents and older, and they speak the language partially and infrequently
• 4 Extinct: there are no speakers left (Evans)

Note how nowhere in this “key” does it list a specific number of speakers required to bump it into the next stage. Instead, it deals with whether or not people are learning it and what percentage of the population fits into this category.

Charted in Table 1 are a few of Evan’s documented languages:

Table 1. Lisa Evans documents endangered languages (Evans).

Because the degree of endangerment deals with the transmission rate rather than the number of speakers, the numbers do not appear to line up. For instance, among the critically endangered languages, some, such as Koraga, have fewer than 20,000 speakers, while Xiri has just 87 speakers. Some severely endangered languages, such as Maricopa, fall right between these numbers. As younger generations stop learning their culture’s language, that language becomes endangered, and eventually, extinct.

So why is this a problem? Why should we care if languages are disappearing? The answer is simple: we should care because of the abundance of knowledge and life connected to those languages. Although having one global language by eliminating others has the promise of unity and free trade of ideas, in reality, by limiting our language use, we actually minimize our ethnic horizons rather than broaden them. The pros of having a diverse language base far outweigh the projected positive outcomes gained by allowing that diversity to be lost. The harmful effects of language extinction include culture loss, forgotten traditions and ideas, lost knowledge, and imposed superiority among the preferred language users. Culture is so intertwined with language that if we lose even one language, we have lost an entire world of culture, ideas, beliefs, and knowledge.

Importance of Language

Language is one way we account for our many cultures. Cultures naturally have different languages, and even if two cultures share a language, their dialects will differ. Physical barriers divide languages; additionally, people create and adapt words into their way of life. Language guides how we function in society and helps us figure out how we fit into our surrounding society. Every language has multiple words for several singular ideas or concepts to provide clarity.

English has only one word for uncle, whether it is your mother or father’s brother or brother-in-law. Further distinction for these kin is not required. However, in the Australian language, Kayardild, a critically endangered language with eight speakers, the uncles on the mother’s and father’s sides are known by different names (Evans; Anderson 49). The different names help distinguish what roles the corresponding uncles perform. An example of this in the English language is found in the performance of weddings. The maid of honor holds a higher prestige with bigger responsibilities than the bridesmaids. Calling her “the maid of honor” rather than “bridesmaid” helps wedding guests understand her important role. Language discerns the different roles each member plays in society and “without the support of language, the speakers themselves may lose track of distinctions that were once central to their community and its social life” (Anderson 50). Different words for differing statuses with disparate connotations help us know which roles we may or may not perform.

Societal roles are not the only important factor language plays in a community. Language guides and allows many different ways of thinking. Cultures have an abundance of ideas, beliefs, and knowledge, not found elsewhere because they lead different lives, which leads to new discoveries and developments. A culture’s background or history impacts thinking a great deal. The foundations of a country, how it was set up, the governmental system, and the evolution of a culture all shape how people see the world, and in turn, guide their thoughts. Different cultures and places, with particular languages and connotations attached to their words, are exposed to varying experiences, and with those, ideas. When we lose languages, “[we’re] losing concepts that have been refined over millennia” (Harrison). Years and years of cultural history have passed down through generations, shaping the values of a society, creating various ideas and beliefs throughout the world. Only upon hearing every side of an issue can one truly make an unbiased decision; why would cultural ideas be any different when considering the ways of the world? “Language diversity is an insurance against the extinction of ideas and knowledge” (Harrison).

Diverse ways of thinking in the world lead to otherwise unimaginable ideas. The Sapir-Whorf thesis is “the idea that people see and understand the world through the cultural lens of language” (Macionis 71). This does not mean everyone in a society thinks the same thoughts; their thoughts are limited by what they know of the world, and their knowledge of the world is limited by language. By limiting language, we limit thought—the very thing that sets us apart from animals. When we “view language through the lens of thought, “we can better understand other cultures, along with our own” (Turin 861). The more languages we allow to coexist with our own, the more diverse our pool of thought is. Diversified language facilitates our ability to have assorted ideas and knowledge.

Just as losing language causes us to “[lose] concepts that have been refined over millennia,” it also causes us to lose knowledge “refined over millennia” (Harrison). Saving languages has “great potential for increasing our awareness of systems of knowledge and ways of being in the world” (Perley 138). This knowledge is not widely available among the world because “languages convey unique forms of cultural knowledge,” which are not readily available or relevant to other cultures (Turin 849). That does not make such knowledge any less useful, especially for science. One may easily think a culture, unintegrated into the larger world, holds little or no value in the world as a whole, but just the opposite is true. Stephen R. Anderson, a professor of linguistics at Yale, argues that small, traditional cultures have immeasurable value in science: “Languages spoken by small and historically isolated groups may preserve knowledge of the natural world that can be of immense value….Traditional cultures [have]…a familiarity with the curative and medicinal uses of various local plants and other substances… [many of which] are unknown to science outside the region…. The loss of a traditional language generally entails loss of access to this knowledge base” (Anderson 45). Not only would we lose refined ideas and culture by allowing languages to become extinct, but we would also lose a wide range of knowledge.

If we let languages die in the hopes of creating one universal language, or in the belief that it is not worth the time and energy spent to save languages, we will lose access to worlds of ideas, beliefs, and knowledge. Language is not merely having the ability to talk amongst ourselves and to communicate with our friends and family; “language is the thread that weaves members of a society into the symbolic web we call culture” (Macionis 113). Without language, we lose our heritage, traditions, and culture. Without culture, we lose our identity and place in the world.

Rebuttal: A Unified Language

If we allow languages to become extinct, the hope is that we will have one universal language, and we will live in a utopia where everyone understands everyone. Time spent preserving languages could be spent learning one global language (Casnocha). The internet may even aid in this, crossing physical barriers and helping everyone learn one language. With the extensive availability of certain languages, it may seem better if we allow one language to take over the world, provide us with one universal language, and the vision of easy communication. However, people will still create and adapt words to fit into their way of life. Over time, there will be several dialects, so different they might as well be different languages (Anderson 23-4). And then, what would we have gained? Nothing, but the loss of knowledge, indefinite cultures, infinite ideas, and beliefs. People will lose their sense of belonging in society, with their societal roles unclear. So why force a dominant language onto another culture under the false belief that it will help?

Conclusion: Diversity Through Language

We should not learn new languages solely to communicate with our friends and family—we already do that. Rather, we should learn new languages to broaden our horizons and to communicate with a new culture of people. It is important that upon becoming “grammatically adult” in a language, we do not remain “a cultural child, with no real sense of what [is] locally relevant, resonant, and meaningful” (Turin 862). Upon learning a language, we should not merely understand the words but understand their meaning and the culture associated with it. This will ensure a culture’s ideas, beliefs, and values do not become extinct.

We can become multilingual, and by doing that, we will become multicultural as well. Languages are not a “zero-sum game” where only one language can survive at the expense of another (Anderson 9). Some people may get stuck in the mindset of, “We live in America; speak English,” or “My language is superior to yours; assimilate and forget your heritage.” People may believe the economically advantageous language should be the only existing language in their region, when in truth, many languages can exist in harmony and provide diverse benefits. Languages and cultures are incommensurable.

Rather than minimizing our horizons by draining the language pool, let us broaden them by embracing new languages and cultures. About half of the world’s languages are in danger of extinction (Turin 846). This means half of the world’s cultures, ideas, and knowledge also face extinction. We need to take action against this now; once a language is extinct, it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to bring it back in its entirety. We may be able to revive the language’s words, but not its cultural ties. “Once the language dies, access to everything it embodies dies with it” (Anderson 47). If we do not act now, “future generations will no longer have this choice” (Anderson 47). In order to act against language endangerment, we must first change our attitude regarding the languages targeted for endangerment. “Attitudes to language are of key importance” (Austin and Sallabank 313). The attitude of language superiority or inferiority leads people to stop learning and encourages the discontinuance of a minority language, pushing it into extinction. “Attitude change is essentially a cognitive activity yet is formulated through social activity” (Austin and Sallabank 314). Majority speakers believe “majority rules” and the minority needs to conform. We need to act against the masses who believe they are superior. We must not get stuck in the mindset of, “We live in America; speak English,” but rather adopt the mindset, “We live in America; embrace your culture and join the melting pot.” We must remember that every person matters, every culture matters, and every language matters.

We can help to save languages by not assuming language superiority or inferiority. In assuming language superiority, we assume cultural superiority, saying we are better than they. Do not allow this kind of thinking to aid in the loss of a culture. In a utopian world, it may seem nice to have one language, but this line of thought fails to recognize how the harmful effects of losing languages far outweigh any potential benefits. Once we recognize the benefits of keeping minority languages, that attitude can begin to change and aid in saving languages, cultures, and ideas. Keeping as many languages alive as possible is beneficial, not just to the speakers of that endangered language, but to the entire web of people that language may touch. 

Works Cited

Anderson, Stephen R. Languages: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford, U.K., Oxford UP, 2012.

Austin, Peter K., and Julia Sallabank. “Endangered Languages: An Introduction.” Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, vol. 34, no. 4, 23 May 2013, Accessed 13 Sept 2016.

Casnocha, Ben. “Is It Worth It to Preserve Dying Languages?” Casnocha, 17 Oct. 2008, Accessed 08 Nov. 2016.

Evans, Lisa. “Endangered Languages: The Full List.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 2011, Accessed 17 Sept. 2016.

Harrison, David. “Saving Endangered Languages.” New Scientist, vol. 229, no. 3059, 2016, p. 32. EBSCOhost. Accessed 13 Sept. 2016.

Macionis, John J. The Basics, Books a La Carte Edition. 14th ed.: Pearson College Div, 2016.

Perley, Bernard C. “Zombie Linguistics: Experts, Endangered Languages and The Curse of Undead Voices.” Anthropological Forum, vol. 22, no. 2, 2012, pp 133-149, EBSCOhost. Accessed 3 Oct. 2016.

Turin, Mark. “Voices of Vanishing Worlds: Endangered Languages, Orality, and Cognition.” Analise Social, vol.47, no. 205, 2012, pp 845-869, EBSCOhost. Accessed 13 Sept. 2016.