Who's afraid of language death?

What is language death?

Condition in which a particular language is not spoken

anymore by anyone.
 Why do languages die?
1. Natural catastrophes:

Earthquakes and tsunamis, especially in tropical regions

2. Cultural assimilation:

Italian towards what we call “dialects”

3. Genocide:

Colonization, tribal wars, religious conflicts...

 When does a language die?

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Total amount of speakers: 1
Unless you enjoy self-conversation…
It happened to Johnny Hill Jr., the last living
Chemehuevi of Arizona

Last surviving speaker = language archive

(usually fragile and old)
 How do languages die?
9 relevant factors unbalanced:

1. Intergenerational language transmission

2. Absolute number of speakers
3. Proportion of speakers within total population

4. Trends in existing language domains

5. Response to new domains and media
6. Materials for language education and literacy
7. Institutional language policies (official st.)

8. Community attitude towards language

9. Amount and quality of documentation

 How does a language die?
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Sometimes it's a slow process:

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previously explained reasons
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+
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time
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Sometimes it's not:

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17th July 1998
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Papua New Guinea
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7.1 magnitude earthquake
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2.200 died, 10.000 were displaced
 Is it such a big issue?
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Most of the language spoken over human history

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are already gone with poor or no documentation.

Nonetheless, the pace was different.

 Is it such a big issue?
Today: ca. 6000 languages (depending on how one counts)

Ethnologue, 1999 survey:

96% of the languages spoken by 4% of the world's

population;

500 languages < 100 speakers

1500 languages < 1.000 speakers
~3000 languages < 10.000 speakers
5000 languages < 100.000 speakers

By 2100: 3000 will be gone.

Pace fostered by globalization.
 Who cares?
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No more language barriers!

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Languages die because they become useless.

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Who cares if a tribe village of 20 people found 3
stones of gold in a river in 1024 B.C.?
 I do. And you should too...
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Because language diversity fosters:

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Also, language extintion diminishes our world as animal
extintion does...

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Creative thinking:

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Each language is a different view of the
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world
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Affects science & research
 I do. And you should too...
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Language diversity is useful & enjoyable:

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Language = repository of history, culture and science

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When a language dies, our global, common pool of
knowledge becomes poorer and we are less adaptive.

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Language = fascinating literature

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No English = no Poe, no Shakespeare
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No French = no Hugo, no Baudelaire
 What to do?
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Language Documentation
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Language Revitalization
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Language Resuscitation

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Institutions around the world:

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International Clearing House for endangered languages -
Tokyo
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Foundation for Endangered Languages - Bristol
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Summer Institute of Linguistics
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UNESCO Atlas
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...
 Linguistic fireworks!
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“The sum of human wisdom is not contained in
any one language, and no single language is
capable of expressing all forms and degrees of
human comprehension.”

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Ezra Pound, 1960, The ABC of Reading
Linguistic fireworks! (ep. II)
If I forget my native speech,
And the songs that my people sing
What use are my eyes and ears?
What use is my mouth?

If I forget the smell of the earth

And do not serve it well
What use are my hands?
Why am I living in the world?

How can I believe the foolish idea

That my language is weak and poor
If my mother's last words
Were in Evenki?

Alitet Nemtushkin, Evenki poet

References
Grenoble, L. A., Whaley, L. J., (2006) Saving Languages – An introduction to
language revitalization, Cambridge University Press, New York;
Crystal, D. (2004), The Language Revolution, Polity Press, Cambridge;
“ (2000), Language Death, University Press, Cambridge;
Harrison, K. D., (2010), The last speakers: the quest to save the world's most
endangered languages, Washington, National Geographic Society;
Moseley, Christopher, (ed., 2010), Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, 3rd
edn, Paris, UNESCO Publishing, Online version:
http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas
Nettle, D., Romaine, S., (2001), Voci del silenzio: sulle tracce delle lingue in via
d'estinzione, Roma, Carocci;
Spolsky, B. (2009), Language management, Cambridge, University Press;
“ (2004), Language policy, Cambridge, University Press;
“ (1989), Maori bilingual education and language revitalization, in
Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, pp. 89-106, Taylor and
Francis
Thank you!

Claudio Russo
clrusso@unito.it
 Yay! Extras!
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Top 10 language chart by size.
Source: Ethnologue

1. Chinese
2. Spanish
3. English
4. Hindi
5. Arabic
6. Portuguese
7. Bengali
8. Russian
9. Japanese
10. Lahnda
 Yay! Extras!
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Endangered languages in:
Source: UNESCO

Ainu: Hokkaido, critically end.;

Yonaguni: Yonaguni isl., severely end.;
Yaeyama: Yaeyama region, severely end.;
Miyako: Miyako isl. and surroundings, definetly end.;
Okinawan: central and southern Okinawa, definetly
end.;
Kunigami: northern Okinawa, Okinoerabu and Yoron
isl.;
definetly end.;
Amami: Amami, Kikai and Tokunoshima
isl., definetly end.;
Hachijō: Hachijō and Aogashima
isl., definetly end.;
 Yay! Extras!
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Endangered languages in:
Source: UNESCO

+ Cimbrian, Ladin, Resian, Friulan, Venetan, South Italian, Sicilian

Töitschu : upper Lys valley, Aosta, severely end.;

Molise Croatian: Molise, severely end.;
Griko: Salento and Calabria, severely end.;
Gardiol: Guardia Piemontese, Calabria, severely end.;
Gallo-Sicilian: 12 towns in northern Sicily, definetly end.;
Campidanese: southern Sardinia.; definetly end.;
Logudorese: central Sardinia.; definetly end.;
Sassarese: northwestern Sardinia, definetly end.;
Gallurese: northeastern Sardinia, definetly end.;
Algherese Catalan: northwestern Sardinia, definetly end.;
Arbëresh: Napoli-Bari stripe, definetly end.;
Faetar: Faeto and Celle San Vito, Apulia, definetly end.;
Emilian-Romagnol: Emilia Romagna, definetly end.;
Ligurian: Liguria, definetly end.;
Alpine Provençal: upper valleys of Piedmont, defin. end.;
Piedmontese: Piedmont area, definetly end.;
Francoprovençal: Aosta valley, northern Piedmont, d.e.;
Lombard: Lombardy, definetly end.;
 Yay! Extras!
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The Ayapaneco Case

2011:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/apr/13/mexico-language-
ayapaneco-dying-out

*SPOILER*:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2632996/Separated-common-
language-no-Last-two-speakers-dying-tongue-decades-long-feud-
help-bring-brink-extinction.html