APRIL 1 S T , 2018

Authored by: Blake Greenspan

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Languages are dying, and it’s a problem!
Most linguists estimate that 50% of the world’s 6,500 languages will disappear in the next

eighty years.i With hundreds of dialects around the

world only having a few speakers left, languages

such as Ainu are severely endangered. An

endangered language is defined as one that is at risk

of falling out because its speakers are dying or

moving to a more prevalent language.ii For

example, Ainu is an endangered language that

originates in Nibutani, Japan. Ainu is classified as

“critically endangered” because there are only two

native speakers worldwide.iii Based on the evidence

available, only isolated words and phrases are still

known.iv Thus, the preservation of the unique Ainu language is unlikely due to its current state;

however, the case of the Eyak language is much different.

In 2018, the last native Eyak speaker vanished from the planet as Marie Smith Jones passed

away. With no close relatives, there was nobody to disperse the language firsthand.v Eyak was one of a

kind. Despite the death of Jones, Eyak is highly documented.

Numerous scholars were able to video and audio record the

language, document the historic stories, and create a dictionary

with the help of Jones.vi Even though Eyak lost its last native

speaker, the language was preserved, so future generations could study the Eyak language and culture.

Without the preservation of the Eyak language, the identity and culture of the Eyaks would

have disappeared with Jones. However, numerous barriers pose problems in the preservation of other

languages. David Harrison, chair of the linguistics department at Swarthmore College and co-founder

of the non-profit Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages, stated “the smaller the number
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of speakers, the harder it is to get an accurate headcount.”vii Thus, it is extremely difficult to obtain an

accurate representation of the number of languages in the world, and the amount of people who speak

them. For example, linguists are only 70% confident that there are two native speakers of the Ainu

language.viii In other words, researchers are not certain of the true number of speakers because

languages are tracked by voluntary participation in surveys. Thus, it is possible that the number of

speakers is greater or less than the reported amount. With this being said, obtaining an accurate

headcount of the remaining speakers is essential to preserving languages. Furthermore, location is

another obstacle that prevents linguists from determining the number of remaining speakers.ix For

example, many languages are spoken in some of the most remote places on the planet. Locations, such

as northern Alaska’s Eyak or southern Japan’s Ainu, are difficult to access. Therefore, linguists cannot

easily document and preserve the language.

Nevertheless, location is not always the main obstacle for linguists to overcome. For some

native speakers, they are afraid of sharing their languages with others because speakers of minority

languages have been persecuted in the past.x For example, many Native American children in the

United States were sent to boarding schools in the 20th century.xi At school, they were not allowed to

speak their language, or they would often suffer consequences.xii The schools aimed to replace their

native values and language with the English and American values.

One account provides a valuable insight into Indian boarding

schools: “They were taught that their cultures were inferior. Some

teachers ridiculed and made fun of the students’ traditions. These

lessons humiliated the students and taught them to be ashamed of

being American Indian.”xiii Thus, the past has led remaining speakers
Before After
to be cautious about sharing their language, which contributes to the

difficulty of preserving endangered languages. Therefore, the various barriers that prevent the

preservation of endangered languages pose a significant problem for maintaining and sharing identity,

values, culture, and perspective.

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Why is language still important in society?
Currently, the highest numbers of endangered languages are found in the Americas. Peter

Austin, a professor of field linguistics at the University of London, said “virtually all the [minority]

languages in the US and Canada are

endangered.”xiv Austin provides the

example of the Navajo language. With

thousands of speakers, few children are

learning Navajo.xv Thus, Navajo falls into

the category of “endangered” because

there are no new speakers to transfer the language to in the future. As Navajo speakers switch to more

prevalent languages like English, their values and identity and culture that were closely linked with the

language also die.

Linguists have determined language helps to express identity and values. Dr. Greg Anderson,

director of Living Tongues, believes that “[language] codifies the history and world view of a people.

It’s clear that it’s important to many people that they have their language that identifies them uniquely

as a group.”xvi Essentially, Anderson implies that language is a main source of establishing identity.

Without language, the uniqueness of a group’s identity will be lost forever. Moreover, language is a

powerful tool for establishing connections and building communities.xvii To illustrate, Native

Americans who speak Cherokee at home are a “tighter-knit community, less assimilated into American

life and less at odds with questions about their native identity,” than natives who speak only

English.xviii So, those who speak their native language have a better understanding of life while also

experiencing strong connections in their community.

As language can provide an insight into group identity, it can also aid in communication on a

larger scale. To further this point, scientists believe that “every language furthers and refines our

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understanding of cognition, communications systems, the nature of the mind and the different ways

people categorize our collective human experience.”xix This quote offers a more scientific approach to

language. Specifically, psychology is greatly influenced by language. One of the main pillars of

psychology is the principal of human thought. Therefore, the connection between human thought and

language is essential to the future understandings of cognition and communication.xx For example, a

language in New Guinea, Yeli Dnye, has 90 sounds compared to 44 sounds in English.xxi Also, Yeli

Dnye has 11 different ways to say “on”.xxii Each sound can indicate whether “something is horizontal,

vertical, on a point, scattered, attached and more.”xxiii For the Cherokee, they have no word for

goodbye, yet they say “I will see you again.”xxiv This saying exemplifies the belief in an afterlife, and

observers can understand the significance of religion in Cherokee society. Once again, it is clear that

language indicates a unique perspective on human thought and life that cannot be replaced by other

means.

Now, it is not only the Native Americans and other minority groups that will be affected by the

loss of language, but also society as a whole will be significantly impacted. As generations of beliefs

and values and identity are lost, our thinking becomes more homogenized and less diverse. As a result,

society loses just as much as any endangered language. From building communities to expressing

identity and culture, a homogenized language will impact all aspects of life that are essential to human

interactions. John McWhorter, professor of American studies and music history at Columbia

University, believes that “languages are variations on a worldwide, cross-cultural perception of this

thing called life.”xxv We should care because life is something to care about.

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How can we preserve languages?
Government Level Solutions
Support for Language Endangerment Programs

One solution to bring awareness to endangered languages is to support language endangerment

programs. Currently, many activist groups fighting to preserve language are self-run and non-profit. In

addition, society is unaware of language endangerment, so many groups have trouble raising the

appropriate funds to teach the public while trying to preserve languages.xxvi The Enduring Voice

Program raises awareness about endangered languages and the impacts of extinction. As of now, the

program is small scale, but it has been “very effective” at raising public awareness.xxvii

To grow their operations and execute large-scale projects, greater funding is needed to promote

national public awareness and implement the necessary technology to preserve and record languages.

For example, Enduring Voices identified hotspots to focus

their support on the language with the greatest threat of

extinction, such as the Winnemem Wintu. After

identification, the program gave the Winnemem a

technology kit and trained them how compile video and

audio recordings.xxviii Now, the Winnemem Wintu will be

taking part in an Enduring Voices workshop in Santa Fe next April, and they have been very successful

in generating new speakers within their school.xxix

Thus, we can see that programs like Enduring Voices are maintaining language through

technology and public awareness. The government has the power to support statewide or even

nationwide projects like the Winnemem Project. Realistically, public education regarding language

endangerment is important, but it does not stop the extinction of various languages throughout the

states. Funding will help provide the essential tools to document and record more languages for future

educational purposes. The projected cost of saving one language (documenting and recording) is

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around $100,000.xxx Thus, by using the target hotspots, specific languages can be identified as critical

and be saved at a relatively low cost with government allocations.xxxi

At a federal level, there is no department that oversees the preservation and sustainability of

languages.xxxii The Department of Education currently houses the Office of English Language

Acquisition.xxxiii The addition of a new office such as the Office of Language Acquisition and

Preservation could be beneficial. For example, this office could provide support to the state and local

governments to preserve and teach these endangered languages.

Research to Determine Threat Level of Endangered Languages

The government can support the creation of a language census to build evolutionary trees of

language.xxxiv Evolutionary language is the construction of language trees that can gauge how unique a

language is compared to others.xxxv For example,

a case study used this approach to rank 350

Austronesian languages. The language with the

highest score was exceptionally distinct yet

nearly extinct.xxxvi This helped researchers focus

on specific languages that were the most at risk

for extinction yet also the most unique.

By building more trees for other language groups, researchers could help minimize the loss of

language in the future. Evolutionary trees could be produced in the United States for Native American

languages to determine which offer the most diversity and uniqueness, and we could focus our

resources on those first. Then, we can spread to other languages over time. By focusing our resources

on a few languages at a time, less funding is needed to achieve preservation. As mentioned before, it

costs nearly $100,000 dollars to save one language. Therefore, by identifying the most threatened

languages and choosing a few to preserve, funding could be as inexpensive as $300,000 to save three.
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However, while we risk certain languages becoming extinct as we narrow our focus, this initiative

would be an excellent starting point to preserve the most unique languages.xxxvii

Incentives for Acquisition and Sustainability of Language

By offering language incentives, the government can facilitate the acquisition of various

languages. Currently, the Central Intelligence Agency offers a Foreign Language Incentive. The

program offers “new and current employees who meet proficiency requirements to receive monetary

bonuses.”xxxviii If other governmental agencies, whether federal or state, further implement this

incentive into various careers, then more individuals might be willing to learn and share additional

languages. Specifically, state governments can offer incentives for Native Americans teachers to share

their language. For example, a CIA employee can earn $75-$400 more biweekly than a regular

employee.xxxix This same strategy can be applied to public school teachers to incentivize native

speakers and increase the acquisition of endangered languages. Thus, if endangered languages are

saved and taught to future generations, it would sustain and support the existence of these languages.

Therefore, language incentives are an extremely viable solution to ensure language sustainability and

acquisition.

Individual/Community Level Solutions

As a country, our community can take action to promote the preservation of endangered

languages in the United States. By supporting and raising awareness for local endangered languages,

everyone can make an impact whether as an individual or as a community.

Spreading Awareness

Spreading awareness in the local community can be very beneficial. Through promotion on

social media or education campaigns on campus, it helps the community to become more aware of

language endangerment.xl Everyone in the community can help to spread awareness from school kids

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to those affected by language endangerment. For those that understand the urgency in language

endangerment, they are responsible for maintaining and spreading awareness. Furthermore, more

might be willing to donate as they understand the stakes of language endangerment. So, community

level donations could help provide grants to those who maintain and spread awareness. As awareness

grows in the community, others can offer their support and further disperse their knowledge on the

importance of this topic outside of the community. Thus, we could sustain and support the existence of

endangered languages through awareness.

Lobbying Efforts

To enact government change, there needs to be support from the public. As communities

become more aware of language endangerment, it will be more obtainable to garner support for the

implementation of new language sustainability policies at the local level. Thus, an overwhelming

amount of support will help to educate representatives on the issue, and thereby advocate for reform.

For example, individual constituents or activist groups can lobby their state governments. These

individuals and groups can lobby by raising money to influence their representatives. Through the

lobbying efforts, we are motivating the government to see the importance of a new subdivision of

education and language as a whole. Thus, a new government entity could be created if worthiness is

deemed. Calls for change have been effective in the past, like during net neutrality, so it is our civic

duty to advocate on behalf of those who cannot and foster diverse perspectives in society again.

Try to Learn a Language

Learning a language today is fairly easy. With technology, sources like

Duolingo and YouTube offer a plethora of knowledge and educational material to

help teach new languages. Simply by making an effort to learn common greetings

or sayings, one can contribute to fostering a safe and welcoming community for all.

Through the support of the community, more might be willing to share and teach
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their language. As a result, a simple greeting in the local language may help to preserve an endangered

language by establishing a safe space.

Conclusion
English has become so prominent in our

society that we commonly disregard other languages

as “a thing of the past.” Each person, group, and

culture have a unique perspective on life through

their language, and that is something to care about. If

a language disappears, a way of life vanishes and can

never be recovered. At the current rate, 3,000

languages will be lost in the next eighty years, so it is crucial to preserve these critically endangered

languages.xli Through government support and individual action, we can cement these languages in

society for the rest of time. Thus, it is possible to preserve language and thereby recover the numerous

levels of diversity from the past; so, let’s get started today!

i Nuwer, Rachel. "Future - Languages: Why We Must save Dying Tongues." BBC. June 06, 2014. Accessed March 29,
2019. http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140606-why-we-must-save-dying-languages.

"Endangered Language." Wikipedia. December 17, 2018. Accessed March 31, 2019.
ii

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endangered_language.

Nuwer, Rachel. "Future - Languages: Why We Must save Dying Tongues." BBC. June 06, 2014. Accessed March 29,
iii

2019; "Did You Know Ainu (Japan) Is Critically Endangered?" Endangered Languages Project. Accessed March 29, 2019.
http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/lang/ain.
iv Ibid
vNuwer, Rachel. "Future - Languages: Why We Must save Dying Tongues." BBC. June 06, 2014. Accessed March 29,
2019; Abley, Mark. "Mark Abley on Marie Smith Jones, the World's Last Eyak Speaker." The Guardian. January 28, 2008.
Accessed March 31, 2019. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jan/28/usa.features11.
vi Ibid

Nuwer, Rachel. "Future - Languages: Why We Must save Dying Tongues." BBC. June 06, 2014. Accessed March 29,
vii

2019.
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viii "Did You Know Ainu (Japan) Is Critically Endangered?" Endangered Languages Project. Accessed March 29, 2019.
ix Ibid
x Ibid
xiNuwer, Rachel. "Future - Languages: Why We Must save Dying Tongues." BBC. June 06, 2014. Accessed March 29,
2019; "Boarding Schools." Native Words Native Warriors. Accessed March 31, 2019.
https://americanindian.si.edu/static/education/codetalkers/html/chapter3.html.
xii Ibid

Ibid
xiii

Nuwer, Rachel. "Future - Languages: Why We Must save Dying Tongues." BBC. June 06, 2014. Accessed March 29,
xiv

2019.
xvIbid
xviBraun, David Max. "Preserving Native America's Vanishing Languages." National Geographic Society Newsroom.
December 14, 2017. Accessed March 31, 2019. https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2009/11/15/preserving-native-americas-
vanishing-languages/.

Mcwhorter, John. "Why Save a Language?" The New York Times. December 05, 2014. Accessed March 31, 2019.
xvii

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/07/opinion/sunday/why-save-a-language.html.
xviii Ibid

Braun, David Max. "Preserving Native America's Vanishing Languages." National Geographic Society Newsroom.
xix

December 14, 2017. Accessed March 31, 2019.

xx Ibid
xxi Mcwhorter, John. "Why Save a Language?" The New York Times. December 05, 2014. Accessed March 31, 2019.
xxii Ibid
xxiii Ibid

Nuwer, Rachel. "Future - Languages: Why We Must save Dying Tongues." BBC. June 06, 2014. Accessed March 29,
xxiv

2019.
xxv Mcwhorter, John. "Why Save a Language?" The New York Times. December 05, 2014. Accessed March 31, 2019.

xxvi "Enduring Voices." Wikipedia. September 20, 2017. Accessed March 31, 2019.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enduring_Voices.

Braun, David Max. "Preserving Native America's Vanishing Languages." National Geographic Society Newsroom.
xxvii

December 14, 2017. Accessed March 31, 2019.

xxviii Ibid
xxix Ibid
xxx"Is It Always Right to save a Dying Language?" Flux Magazine. May 12, 2017. Accessed March 31, 2019.
http://www.fluxmagazine.com/dying-language/.

Braun, David Max. "Preserving Native America's Vanishing Languages." National Geographic Society Newsroom.
xxxi

December 14, 2017. Accessed March 31, 2019; "Enduring Voices." Wikipedia. September 20, 2017. Accessed March 31,
2019.
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 "U.S. Department of Education." USAGov. February 2019. Accessed March 31, 2019. https://www.usa.gov/federal-
xxxii

agencies/u-s-department-of-education.

"English Language Acquisition Office." USAGov. February 2019. Accessed March 31, 2019.
xxxiii

https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/english-language-acquisition-office.

Chipello, Chris. "This Is How We Can save Dying Languages." World Economic Forum. December 2017. Accessed
xxxiv

March 31, 2019. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/12/to-save-dying-languages-use-evolutionary-trees.

xxxv Ibid

xxxvi Ibid
xxxvii Ibid
xxxviii "Foreign Language Incentive Program." Central Intelligence Agency. November 27, 2018. Accessed March 31, 2019.
https://www.cia.gov/careers/foreign-language/foreign-language-incentive-program.html.

xxxix Ibid

Braun, David Max. "Preserving Native America's Vanishing Languages." National Geographic Society Newsroom.
xl

December 14, 2017. Accessed March 31, 2019.

xli"How to Save Dying Languages." Accredited Language Services. March 1, 2010. Accessed March 31, 2019.
https://www.alsintl.com/blog/dying-languages/.

Photo Citations:
1. Coverpage background: https://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vector/speech-bubbles-with-hello-on-different-
languages-vector-10567600
2. Penn State Logo: https://onwardstate.com/2014/11/05/power-ranking-the-five-penn-state-logos/
3. Top Ten Language:
https://s3images.coroflot.com/user_files/individual_files/projects/286649_1321053_cover_v6zlnbjgt9vhvalbj_ax.j
pg
4. Picture of Mary James: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqxGB0lR2Gc
5. Boarding School Photo: https://americanindian.si.edu/static/education/codetalkers/html/chapter3.html
6. Kids Learning: https://dcmp.org/learn/45-captioning-from-a-native-american-perspective
7. Threat Level Photo: https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2009/11/15/preserving-native-americas-vanishing-
languages/
8. Duolingo Photo: https://www.duolingo.com
9. Critically endangered map: https://julietetelandresen.com/endangered-languages-health-issue/
10. Endangered language stats: https://sites.psu.edu/global/2017/01/27/endangered-languages-and-diversity/

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