Languages constantly change
and shape through time. They change for a variety of reasons such as social,
economic and political pressures, by historical events like invasions,
colonization and migration, and even new technologies, industries and products.
All these factors influence the society and drive the speakers to create new
set of words, phrases and even change pronunciation. But, how can languages
survive after many years of facing troubles and difficulties? Can languages “die”?
There are
many reasons as to why languages “die”. Besides the death of their speakers due
to natural disasters which still happens today, we could consider colonization,
migration, and invasion. Sadly, there are numerous languages that are
vanishing. “About 3,000 languages are going to become extinct in 1,200 months”,
says Černý Miroslav. That’s very alarming because since language represents and
preserves the identity and integrity of a culture then we are losing a part of
this world. The reason behind the death of these languages is because there are
very few speakers that after their death it will eventually vanish.
There are
approximately 5,000 to 6,000 languages in the world. In this global context,
the first three languages are Chinese with 1,000,000,000, then English with 350,000,000,
and at third place Spanish with 250,000,000 speakers. Economic, political,
social and cultural power is also in the hands of the speakers of these
languages so this helps them survive through time.
One important factor as to how languages
survive has to do with the history of the country where the language is spoken.
A remarkable example is the historical development of the English language. The
old English was born in the Britannia where the Indo-Europeans tribes, the
Anglo-Saxons settled in for the first time. After years of living in that fruitful
land, Christianity dropped by and gave the language a great boost by expanding
their vocabulary with one of the most influential languages, Latin. Sometime
later the Vikings, who spoke Danish came a long and invaded the island
influencing and changing English. But that’s not all that happened.
When a
language is threatened to disappear, it is then when the speakers must do
everything in their power, if they care for their culture, to revive and
strengthen their language. Just like in the continuing story of English who
showed an astonishing adaptability in surviving another major language
collision. The victory of the new French King in the island of Britain changed
the face of English forever. Everything was spoken in French and the poor
natives who spoke English had to learn it in order to survive. Many years
passed by and eventually the French language took the English language’s place
as the official one of Britain. It was such an enormous influence. Luckily, the
English language was well established, many French lived in English
countrysides surrounded by English speakers, and due to King John the French
were starting to be pushed away.
An endangered
language can change and improve if its speakers show interest, just like in the
history of English. Nothing is forever, but a language like I mentioned before
represents us, our culture, we must fight to keep it alive in this ever
changing world. We must continue to speak it, to write it in textbooks,
articles, etc., and we must teach it. Yes, language changes through time, but
it’s a good development. We need to enrich it by adding and expanding our
vocabulary. English may be the Lingua
Franca in the world but never forget your own language to the extent of making
it disappear completely.
Loves God Greatly,
Adriana Giletta
Loves God Greatly,
Adriana Giletta
