Extinction fear for languages::more threatened by extinction than previously thought
Extinction fear for languages By Magdalena Wallmont CNN Thursday, May 22, 2003 Posted: 1349 GMT ( 9:49 PM HKT)
LONDON, England (CNN) -- New research on human communication suggests that languages may be more threatened by extinction than previously thought.
Using the same standards applied to bird and mammal populations, professor Bill Sutherland of the University of East Anglia in England examined the threat to the world's 6,800 languages.
His findings -- that nearly 1,700 languages are either endangered, critically endangered or vulnerable -- are reported in the May 15 edition of the science journal, Nature.
"The threats to birds and mammals are well known, but it turns out that languages are far more threatened," Sutherland says.
About 27 percent of the world's languages are threatened, compared to about9 percent of the bird population, his study shows.
Sutherland also notes similarities in areas where languages and birds were endangered or extinct.
"Countries with the most endangered and extinct languages also have more endangered and extinct birds," he writes in Nature.
Likewise, "areas with high language diversity also have high bird and mammal diversity, and all three show similar relationships to area, latitude (and) area of forest."
Sutherland notes there are 357 languages with fewer than 50 speakers each.
Some of them include Birale in Ethiopia, with 20 speakers; Saami in Sweden,with 50 speakers; and Alawa in Australia with about 20 speakers, accordingto the book "Ethnologue: Languages of the World," edited by Barbara F. Grimes.
"As languages become rare they become less attractive for people to use andspeak," Sutherland notes.
According to the England-based Foundation for Endangered Languages, 83 percent of the world's languages are restricted to single countries, making them more vulnerable to the policies of a single government.
"At the other end of the scale, 10 major languages are the mother tongues of almost half of the world's population," the foundation notes on its Web site.
The foundation attributes the decline and total disappearance of some languages to urbanization, Westernization and the growth of global communications, which "diminish the self-sufficiency of small and traditional communities."
"As each language dies out, science loses a source of data that carry messages in anthropology and prehistory," the foundation says.
The study used the same standards applied to birds, such as the endangered Kirtland's warbler.
Linguistics researcher Graham Dutfield of the University of London also believes that the spread of Western culture plays a part in the decline of languages.
"Western music and culture in all corners of the Earth is a factor in the love of the modern and the disdain for the traditional, resulting in the abandonment of languages that seem no longer relevant or useful," he says.
Yet Dutfield doesn't blame English for the threat to other languages.
"Just because English is the world's most widespread language," he says, "does not mean that when people no longer speak a language, they are turning to English."
<http://edition.cnn.com/2003/TECH/science/05/22/extinct.language/index.html>
TOP 10 LANGUAGES
(percent of world speakers in parentheses)
1. Mandarin/Chinese (16%)
2. English (8%)
3. Spanish (5%)
4. Arabic (4%)
5. (tie) Hindi, Portuguese, Bengali, Russian (3% each)
9. (tie) Japanese, French (2% each)
Source: U.N. Environment Program
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<H1 style="MARGIN: auto 0cm"><SPAN lang=EN-US
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<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
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Wallmont<BR>CNN<BR>
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<SPAN class=cnnstorytime1>Thursday, May 22, 2003 Posted: 1349 GMT ( 9:49 PM
HKT)</SPAN><BR style="mso-special-character: line-break"><BR
style="mso-special-character: line-break"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">LONDON, England
(CNN) --</SPAN></B><SPAN> <STRONG>New research on human communication suggests
that languages may be</STRONG> </SPAN><FONT color=#000000><SPAN><FONT
size=2><STRONG>more threatened by extinction than previously thought.
<o:p></o:p></STRONG></FONT></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Using the same
standards applied to bird and mammal populations, professor Bill Sutherlandof
the University of East Anglia in England examined the threat to the world's
6,800 languages. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">His findings -- that
nearly 1,700 languages are either endangered, critically endangered or
vulnerable -- are reported in the May 15 edition of the science journal, Nature.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">"The threats to birds
and mammals are well known, but it turns out that languages are far more
threatened," Sutherland says. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">About 27 percentof the
world's languages are threatened, compared to about 9 percent of the bird
population, his study shows. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Sutherland also notes
similarities in areas where languages and birds were endangered or extinct.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">"Countries with the
most endangered and extinct languages also have more endangered and extinct
birds," he writes in Nature. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Likewise, "areaswith
high language diversity also have high bird and mammal diversity, and all three
show similar relationships to area, latitude (and) area of forest."
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Sutherland notesthere
are 357 languages with fewer than 50 speakers each. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Some of them include
Birale in Ethiopia, with 20 speakers; Saami in Sweden, with 50 speakers; and
Alawa in Australia with about 20 speakers, according to the book "Ethnologue:
Languages of the World," edited by Barbara F. Grimes. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">"As languages become
rare they become less attractive for people to use and speak," Sutherland notes.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">According to the
England-based Foundation for Endangered Languages, 83 percent of the world's
languages are restricted to single countries, making them more vulnerable to the
policies of a single government. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">"At the other end of
the scale, 10 major languages are the mother tongues of almost half of the
world's population," the foundation notes on its Web site.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The foundation
attributes the decline and total disappearance of some languages to
urbanization, Westernization and the growth of global communications, which
"diminish the self-sufficiency of small and traditional communities."
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">"As each language dies
out, science loses a source of data that carry messages in anthropology and
prehistory," the foundation says. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="COLOR: black"><IMG height=168 alt=Bird
src="[cid:002901c32104$7e107760$"](<https://web.archive.org/web/20060517031233/cid:002901c32104$7e107760$">); width=220
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 8.5pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The study used
the same standards applied to birds, such as the endangered Kirtland's
warbler. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P></TD>
<TD
style="BORDER-RIGHT: #c0c0c0; PADDING-RIGHT: 0cm; BORDER-TOP: #c0c0c0; PADDING-LEFT: 0cm; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; BORDER-LEFT: #c0c0c0; WIDTH: 7.5pt; PADDING-TOP: 0cm; BORDER-BOTTOM: #c0c0c0; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"
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src="[cid:002a01c32104$7e107760$"](<https://web.archive.org/web/20060517031233/cid:002a01c32104$7e107760$">); width=10
v:shapes="_x0000_i1027"></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 瘞蝝唳擃; mso-hansi-font-family: 瘞蝝唳擃"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Linguistics researcher
Graham Dutfield of the University of London also believes that the spread of
Western culture plays a part in the decline of languages. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">"Western music and
culture in all corners of the Earth is a factor in the love of the modern and
the disdain for the traditional, resulting in the abandonment of languages that
seem no longer relevant or useful," he says. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Yet Dutfield doesn't
blame English for the threat to other languages. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">"Just because English
is the world's most widespread language," he says, "does not mean that when
people no longer speak a language, they are turning to English."
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><BR
clear=all><http://edition.cnn.com/2003/TECH/science/05/22/extinct.language/index.html></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">TOP 10
LANGUAGES<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD
style="BORDER-RIGHT: #c0c0c0; PADDING-RIGHT: 4.5pt; BORDER-TOP: #c0c0c0; PADDING-LEFT: 4.5pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4.5pt; BORDER-LEFT: #c0c0c0; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #c0c0c0; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">
<P><FONT face=瘞蝝唳擃><EM><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt">(percent of
world speakers in parentheses)</SPAN></EM><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">1.
Mandarin/Chinese (16%) <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">2. English(8%)
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">3.
Spanish (5%) <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">4. Arabic (4%)
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">5.
(tie) Hindi, Portuguese, Bengali, Russian (3% each)
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">9.
(tie) Japanese, French (2% each)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><FONT face=瘞蝝唳擃><EM><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt">Source:
U.N. Environment Program</SPAN></EM><SPAN lang=EN-US
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
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