{"id":3053,"date":"2015-03-04T08:00:30","date_gmt":"2015-03-04T08:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/?p=3053"},"modified":"2015-03-04T20:13:24","modified_gmt":"2015-03-04T20:13:24","slug":"what-do-we-lose-when-a-language-dies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/what-do-we-lose-when-a-language-dies\/","title":{"rendered":"What Do We Lose When a Language Dies?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"grandmother-453131_640\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Grandparents are often the best storytellers. They pull us into their laps, or let us crowd around their legs, and in their age-worn voices they recount memories and experiences from long ago that captivate us and leave us thirsting for more. Their stories are testimonies of the lives they\u2019ve lived \u2013 the histories of our families \u2013 and though when we\u2019re young we look to them solely as a source of entertainment, in the long run they are worth far more. They instil in us our moral codes, our family heritage and our sense of identity. Their stories help us to understand ourselves, and they establish the foundations of a narrative that often shapes our entire lives.<\/p>\n

But what about the language<\/i> of those stories? What about the language of our ancestors? Isn\u2019t that an equally as important component in the broader context of our cultural histories? What would we lose if the experiences of our ancestors could no longer be passed down by oral traditions? What would we lose if the language of our past were permanently erased?<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is exactly the fate that awaits speakers of nearly half of the world\u2019s approximately 6,000 languages, according to a PBS documentary, \u201cLanguage Matters\u201d<\/a>. Populations die out or communities homogenize and the world loses important features to the linguistic graveyard, which causes\u00a0the loss of\u00a0countless other things, including\u00a0a unique worldview and scientific understanding of our cognitive capacities.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Unique Worldview<\/h2>\n

Stephen R. Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People<\/i><\/a> said, \u201cwe see the world not as it is, but as we are \u2013 or, as we are conditioned to see it.\u201d And he makes a valid point. We do see the world as we are. Our observations are influenced by social, cultural and personal factors that impact our everyday lives, and language is inextricably intertwined with each of them. It is a medium through which we convey our inner thoughts to the outside world and it is a vehicle of private elucidation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe understand things, events, ourselves and others through a process of interpretation, which occurs in language,\u201d\u00a0explains University of San Francisco doctoral candidate Pamela Serota Cote<\/a>, \u201cthis is how language, culture, and identity intersect.\u201d We make sense of our surroundings and interpret our experiences through the languages we speak, creating a culture-specific lens through which we view the world.<\/p>\n

When a language dies, however, that particular lens shatters. Linguists and researchers may try to revive it by documenting various technical aspects of the language, but the view will forever be warped and incomplete. And that\u2019s traumatising, especially for the people on the inside. It\u2019s painful to be inside a dying language \u2013 to know that generations down the line, no one will cherish your warm memories, or appreciate the sweet eloquence of your favourite poem, or understand the punch line of a joke that just doesn\u2019t quite make sense when translated \u2013 but it\u2019s not just tragic for those that experience it; it\u2019s a deprivation for us all.<\/p>\n

Every language contributes to the diversity of the world\u2019s cultural ecosystem; every language brings us a fresh interpretation of our environments, of our experiences, of ourselves and of others. So, when we lose a language, we all suffer. Whether we know it or not, each time a language dies, our world gets a little more lacklustre and though communication might be easier, we aren\u2019t necessarily better for it.<\/p>\n

\"nations-210762_1280\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Scientific Understanding of Human Cognitive Capacity<\/h2>\n

World renowned linguist Noam Chomsky wrote<\/a>, \u201cwhen we study human language, we are approaching what some might call \u2018the human essence,\u2019 the distinctive qualities of mind that are, so far as we know, unique to man and that are inseparable from any critical phase of human existence, personal or social.\u201d That\u2019s a pretty impressive statement.<\/p>\n

\"The study of language reveals the essence of humanity.\"<\/i><\/h4>\n

But barring a few sceptics, it\u2019s accurate. Studying a language yields enormous insights about the human mind; one such being the way our brains process language and use it to communicate effortlessly, freely, and creatively.<\/p>\n

Different languages have different rules that all speakers \u2013 consciously or subconsciously \u2013 must subscribe to in order to be classified as \u2018fluent\u2019. These rules delineate the boundaries of human capacity to interpret and produce language. Linguists, thus, scrutinise languages to determine what exactly<\/i> our minds are capable of. So what does this have to do with language death?<\/p>\n

When a language dies \u2013 and has not been catalogued or recorded in depth<\/a> \u2013 we lose the information coded in it; not just the knowledge it expresses, but the details of our cognitive capacities. Take for instance, Urarina<\/i>, a language spoken by the Urarina people in the Loreto Region of Northwest Peru. Urarina implements an incredibly rare object-verb-subject<\/a> (OVS) word order that is only present in a few other languages in the world. Now, imagine that Urarina had died out before linguists had gotten their hands on it \u2013 with only 3,000 speakers worldwide, it\u2019s not an unreasonable scenario \u2013 or that the handful of other languages that use the OVS word order<\/a> were not discovered before their extinction. Linguists may rightly have concluded that the human brain was incapable of processing a language that operated on this basis.<\/p>\n

What about the languages that are disappearing as we speak? What secrets do they hold about the capacity of our cognitions? What gems might they reveal about the essence of our humanity? This is what we lose when languages die.<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/p>\n

Language change is inevitable, and language death is imminent. As travel becomes easier and more convenient, as globalisation encroaches on indigenous populations, minority languages will fizzle out and be replaced by the monolithic language bullies of the world. But as we travel, as we globalise, as we traverse the planet that houses us all, let\u2019s think about what exactly it is we lose when a language dies.<\/p>\n

Do you have thoughts on language death and its cultural implications? Join the conversation, and let us know what you think in the comments below! And be sure to <\/i>contact us<\/i><\/a> to enrol in language courses near you \u2013\u00a0what better way to understand the unique cultural features intrinsic in every language than to learn one! <\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Grandparents are often the best storytellers. They pull us into their laps, or let us crowd around their legs, and in their age-worn voices they recount memories and experiences from long ago that captivate us and leave us thirsting for more. Their stories are testimonies of the lives they\u2019ve lived \u2013 the histories of our(\u2026)<\/p>\n

\n
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