Mind Your Languages
2013, Nepali Times
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Patan Pragya
Language endangerment is the very critical issues of 21st century because the extinction of each language results in the irrecoverable loss of unique expression of the human experience and the culture of the world. Every time a language dies, we have less evidence for understanding patterns in the structure and function of human languages, human prehistory and the maintenance of the world’s diverse ecosystems. Language is thus essential for the ability to express cultural knowledge, the preservation and further development of the culture. In the world, 500 languages are spoken by less than 100 peoples and 96% of the worlds languages are spoken only 4% of the world’s population. Data shows that all most all the minority languages of world are in endangered and critical situation and not becoming to the culture transmitter. This paper will explain the process, stages, paradigms, as well as the language endangerment in global and in South Asian context.
The aim of the paper is to discuss the nature and extent of language endangerment with special reference to Tiwa, an indigenous tribal community settled mainly in the states of Assam and Meghalaya in the north eastern part of India. In Assam, Tiwas are found in Karbi Anglong, Nagaon, Morigaon, Dhemaji and Kamrup districts and in Meghalaya, they are concentrated in the Ri-bhoi district. According to the 2011 census of Assam, the total population of Tiwa community was 3,71,000 and out of the total population only 31,421 can speak the language. Linguistically, Tiwa also known as 'Lalung' is a Bodo-Garo language belonging to the Tibeto-Burman sub group of the Sino-Tibetan language family. According to the UNESCO report (2003), Tiwa is one of the endangered languages of the NorthEast India. This community is settled in three regions, hills, near to the hills and in plains area. Those who are settled in hills are known as Hajowali, foot-hills area as Datiwali, and in plains area as Tholuwali respectively. The paper aims to look into the language endangerment of Tiwa and the causes that leads to language endangerment. The attitudes of the native speakers towards the language will also be assessed and the suggestions to save the language from further endangerment will also be given.
pp. 303-341 in Matthias Brenzinger, ed. Handbook of Endangered Languages. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter., 2007
Mountain Research and Development , 2005
According to even the most conservative estimates, at least half of the world's 6500 languages are expected to become extinct in the next century. While the documentation of endangered languages has traditionally been the domain of academic linguists and anthropologists, international awareness of this impending linguistic catastrophe is growing, and development organizations are becoming involved in the struggle to preserve spoken forms. The death of a language marks the loss of yet another piece of cultural uniqueness from the mosaic of our diverse planet, and is therefore a tragedy for the heritage of all humanity. Language death is often compared to species extinction, and the same metaphors of preservation and diversity can be invoked to canvas support for biodiversity and language preservation programs. The present article addresses language endangerment in the Himalayas, with a focus on Nepal, and presents the options and challenges for linguistic development in this mountainous region.
2014
Most of the 6,000‐7,000 languages spoken across the world are under threat. In some cases, the few remaining speakers are elderly and the languages are not being transmitted to new generations. In other cases, the speakers are shifting to dominant languages. The result of these events is a crisis in linguistic diversity leading many scholars to predict that between 50%-90% of all the world‘s languages will be extinct by the end of this century. Although various approaches have been developed to examine the issues underlying this crisis, no one has yet proposed a unifying framework. To address this gap, this paper proposes an ecological framework through which the processes of language attrition, shift and extinction can be examined and evaluated. Ever since ecological approaches were introduced to sociolinguistics by Einar Haugen in 1971, they have found broad application in the field. Various interpretations have been developed: for example, in terms of correlations between the nic...
Language endangerment and language extinctions are two crucial terms which have invaded different perspectives including linguistics,
Abstract: Language is essential in humans’ lives; it is what takes to differentiate between animals and humans, it is what we use to understand ourselves. Upon all its status in human life, people are still crying of language disappearance, because many died and some are endangered. There are some questions that supposed to be asked, but only few were raised. We tried to look at major areas such as: the importance of languages, the statistics of languages, what really caused the endangerment, and a way out (solution). Though, the issue is very vast, but we tried and narrowed ourselves down to the minimal level just not to confuse readers. Key words: Language, death, endangered, and revitalization
International Social Science Journal, 2002
Language endangerment, a global phenomenon, is accelerating and 90 percent of the world's languages are about to disappear in 21 st century, leading to the loss of human intellectual and cultural diversity. When Europe colonized the New World and the South, an enormous body of cultural and intellectual wealth of indigenous people was lost completely and it was appreciable only through the language that disappeared with it (Hale, 1998). This research deals with the problem of language loss in the world and seeks answer to critical questions: What does language extinction mean for humankind? What is to be done to save languages from loss? Some scholars suggest that linguists should find solutions whereas others disagree that it is linguists' responsibility to maintain and preserve the currently disappearing languages. Moreover, the research indicates that not only language specialists are participating in this process but also general public, particularly members of the communities whose languages are declining, are contributing their efforts in saving languages from loss.

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