
2,500 languages threatened with extinction - rockstar9
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090219/ts_afp/worldlanguagesunesco
======
geebee
There's another possibility: everyone is bilingual in "Universal" (English)
and "local language X". As long as you have a few thousand people, speak
whatever you like.

English really isn't the greatest choice for international language - it is
fairly idiomatic - but it wasn't really a "choice" anyway. Still, it appears
to be heading for international language status. I read that conferences in
Asia, where native speakers of English are less than 1% of participants, often
just use English to deal with the fact that there are hundreds of languages
represented at the conference.

At the same time, many (admittedly well educated) countries are proving that
you can use your native language and English. Based on my most recent trip,
I'd say it's easier to get clear directions in English from a bus driver in
Stockholm than in San Francisco.

So ironically, the widespread use of English could actually be a boon for
obscure languages. You can preserve one for cultural identity, and use English
for business. That said, this model is probably not going to help the last 500
speakers in a remote village without running water.

------
alecst
On one hand, I understand that this is inevitable. No language can be spoken
forever, and unless there is a reason to communicate in a language, it will
evaporate. This is a natural consequence of increasing communication between
nations which are searching for a standard language with which to use.

On the other hand, there is a certain emptiness associated with a language
which is no longer spoken, entombed in books. My inner linguist laments the
death of these obscure languages and dialects.

I won't grieve _too_ much, for as language evolves, communication between
humans is facilitated. As most people will only feel comfortable learning one,
maybe two languages, why not learn the ones most spoken? Of _course_ languages
are going to "go extinct," that is the nature of their evolution: survival of
the fittest.

~~~
greml1n
I think it is more survival of the least unfit, but I agree. I'll be happy
with English, Arabic and Mandarin.

~~~
jacquesm
make that Spanish, Mandarin and English...

