Language Death

Distinctions are commonly drawn between an endangered language (one with few or no children learning the language) and an extinct language (one in which the last native speaker has died). Every ١٤ days a language dies. By 2100, more than half of the more than ٧،٠٠٠ languages spoken on Earth--many of them not yet recorded-may disappear, taking with them a wealth of knowledge about history, culture, the natural environment, and the human brain. (National Geographic Society.) Language death occurs in unstable bilingual or multilingual speech communities as a result of language shift from a regressive minority to a dominant majority language. (Dressler, W. language death, 1988). The aim of this article is to mention some factors influence on endangered language and extinct language. The review of existing literature indicated the priority should be given to the endangered language rather than extinct language.

کلیدواژه ها:

Endangered Language ، Extinct Language ، Language Death