Languages

Every two weeks one of the languages spoken by a group of people dies—extinguished. At the present time about 7,000 languages exist. With this rate of loss only half of those languages will remain in 2100.

The "big" languages take over and the languages spoken by fringe communities die out or in some cases are forced out.

Just the way we list endangered flora and fauna we list endangered languages. A language must meet specific criteria—and there are criteria for the different levels of danger. You start with vulnerable—children know how to speak the language, but use it at home and not out in the larger society. At the next level children aren't taught the language at home. This is a quick slide down the ladder to critically endangered where several elderly adults retain a vocabulary.

Google has launched an Endangered Language Project

National Geographic began an Enduring Voices Project

Explore Endangered Languages Online

This project started in 2010.

"Every spoken language in the world may have part of the Bible written in their own heart language within 15 years because of new technological advances as well as translation strategies.

Wycliffe Bible Translators, the world’s largest scripture translation organisation, believes Bible translation into all of the remaining 2,200 languages used by some 350 million people is possible by 2025."

Since learning new languages is not my long suit I settled for adopting an endangered word.

If you're interested check out Save the Words

I'm contemplating adopting pseudisodomous.

Before I sign the adoption paper I must promise to use pseudisodomous in conversation and correspondence as frequently as possible.

The contractor, known for building psedisodomous walls, often ended up in court.