posted by Sam Richards
It’s rather sobering to think that there are upwards to half of the approximately 7,000 languages that are used in the world today will no longer be spoken by the time time twenty-something college students are lowered into the ground. Another language, one of the world’s oldest, just gave up the ghost the other day when the last remaining speaker died. I supposed that it’s not as devastating as the earthquake in Haiti, all things considered, but there is something existentially unnerving about knowing that a complex form of communication that brought so many people together over so many centuries is lost forever. And maybe I’m too sentimental…and maybe I’m just feeling the effects of living in a time of rapid social, economic, and environmental transformation.
I don’t think we “should” feel some sort of way about this. But I do think it’s worth setting aside our phones and remotes and pondering that nobody will EVER hear these words spoken…ever again. If you don’t feel something about that, then perhaps you’re just not tapped into this particular mystery.
Check out this article from the BBC: The Tragedy of Dying Languages
When I was reading this post at first, the thing that jumped out at me was the fact that there were over 7,000 languages in the world today. I was very surprised by this fact and trying to comprehend the different types of words there are in the world. The fact that there are over 7,000 ways to communicate something to people, in itself is amazing to me. Going into the actual story about how the last member of the Bo tribe died and the last person to speak their language is dead, and that there will no longer be that language spoken on this earth is just astonishing. Their tribe has been here for over 65,000 years speaking the language and being apart of a culture that will never be experienced ever again. It is weird to try to comprehend that from being in the United States. I could not even imagine having a language like English disappear just like that. It is crazy to think that for 65,000 years these people were speaking their language, living in their own culture and for the next 65,000 years all of their culture and language will not be there. Going into the whole language part, communication is an essential part of life. Not being able to communicate what you want to say to others and to have everyone around you not know what you are saying is frustrating. Losing something as essential as a communication method, such as a language is something that makes you think. I am on AIM, on my phone whether it be calling someone or texting someone, talking to people face to face, or just through e-mail, you do not think of having the other person who you are talking to NOT get what you are saying. They most likely understand you and will respond to whatever that is you are saying. However, I believe that the most intriguing part of this story is the fact that Boa Sr. was the last of her tribe. What this means to me is that all of her tribe’s history, all of their culture (including their language), and the values that they shared are all gone from this earth. All of the traditions that her tribe did are vanished. I believe that this is the biggest “loss” if you think about it. Having a whole group of people are gone. It is like comparing them to an endangered species if you will. She was the last of her kind like the dodo bird was once and now they will never been seen again. Their language and culture are now extinct like the dodo bird is. It is just hard to fathom, for me, having a group of people extinct like a group of animals.
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The emergence of English as the primary language in so many countries is really facilitating the quick demise of so many others. Being the social, political, and economic giant of the world, much of the world revolves around us, and thus our language. It really is a shame that this is happening nowadays, and happening so quickly, but it was bound to happen eventually. In a world of increasing technology and communication, it is becoming imperative that we be able to communicate with everyone in the world regardless of race or ethnic background. It is only a matter of time before we are down to just a few major languages, and billions of people speak English.
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I know I am pretty biased when it comes to this subject, as I speak only English, as do the past three generations in my family. Before that, my ancestors spoke Italian, but neither of the languages that have been spoken by my family are in danger of dying out. Because of my biased view, I do not believe it really matters if languages die out. After all, why does it really matter? If a language is even in danger of dying out, then apparently it isn't important enough that people in future generations should know how to speak it. At one time the language was probably important, since more people spoke it. But in today's world, what need is there for languages that barely anyone speaks? I think that our time and resources should be put toward something more important than to conserve languages that will most likely eventually die out anyway.
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I think it is really sad how this was the last person in the whole world who could speak the Bo language. Languages are a very important part of life because a language is directly related to the culture of the people. It wasn’t just the Bo language that went but the Bo culture as well. It will never be seen again.
On a brighter note though, it is showing how languages are evolving and therefore some may become obsolete. Take Latin for instance. It may still be spoken for a number of terms and mainly used in a religious stature, but no culture today uses it as its main dialogue. Look what came from Latin though. Latin is considered to be the root of most languages that come from the European areas. It evolved into the separate cultures own unique language to show diversity. The English language that we speak is heavily similar to that of the Latin language. However, the English that we speak is different from where we got our language.
English in England is spoken one way with many words meaning one thing but here in the United States it could mean something else. I know how a fag in England is just slang for a cigarette, but here in the United States it could be a derogatory word for someone gay. Even here in the United States English is not entirely the same wherever you may go. People speak differently in the north compared to the south and different in the east compared to the west. There are many different cultures within the United States that it leads to different variances of the English language. The evolution of language is constantly being reinvented. Every day, slang is becoming apart of the normal speech of many people. Children speak entirely different from their parents in many aspects because they have created their own updated English that many parents may not understand. It is constantly being updated by each generation.
Yeah, this Bo language might have disappeared off the face of the earth, but how many subcultures have been made from the Bo culture. I do not think that this language has completely died. Just the original has become obsolete. Bo 1.2 is somewhere but we just have not noticed it to be so. Things such as a language cannot just disappear and never be heard of again. It’s still around as long as you know where to look for it. I’m sure there are plenty of historians or people like linguists who have made it there special project to preserve this language to the best of their abilities to keep it from never being heard of again. These people will keep much of the culture in peoples memories.
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Call me ignorant, shallow, or just a victim of millennial thinking, but I don’t really care about the death of a language. As I see it, a language is just noises from the mouth that help people understand one another, and if one dies, it probably did so because it lost all real-world utility many, many years ago. I especially think that all of these tribal languages and variations and dialects spoken by if even a few hundred people are, for lack of a better word, useless. They are examples of people holding on to the past, and often being too stubborn or shortsighted to adapt.
I am not a heartless person, but I find it difficult to summon emotion for the loss of an old, outdated system of sounds used by a few hundred people to communicate thousands of miles away from me. Just because the language is old does not make it important or earth shattering. The same is true if it is the language is exotic or exclusive to a small group of people. An enormous issue for me is people automatically assuming something is special because it falls out of the mainstream. There are instances when this assumption is correct, such as with the language Latin, which shaped nearly every language of the West (to avoid wrongly showing a Western bias I would have used another example, but this was all that came to mind). But in reality the opposite is usually true; things fall out of favor and out of use because they are no longer necessary.
Reading some of the comments from the BBC article made me think about the fact that knowledge dies when a language does, but I think that idea is slightly contradictory. I highly doubt that the last speaker of a language, with an intact community around it that for some reason or another no longer speaks that language (again, back to the lack of utility of it in the first place), would take all of the community’s secrets about flora, fauna, and astronomy with them to the grave. The only danger of losing the knowledge should be if the entire community dies, not just the last speaker of the original native language. I find it hard to believe the last few speakers kept all of that information to themselves and never bothered to translate it to their people somehow. If they do take all of their information to the grave, it is not the fault of the death of the language, but the lack of durability of their culture. It is important to think realistically about the evolution of cultures and not get too caught up in nostalgia.
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Wow this is an issue that I have never considered before. I found this article and story to be very interesting. The loss of a language is not something I have ever really thought about or thought was possible. I think a lot of us have never really fully thought of the importance of language, or the fact that there are so many of them in the world. I find it amazing that there are 7,000 languages in the world and that half are in danger of disappearing. The death of Boa Sr from the Andaman Islands in India, the last speaker of a language, will hopefully make us realize how interesting and important languages are.
While it is important to remember and learn about languages whether they are still around or not, we must realize that it is inevitable for them to change and disappear. The English language itself is changing- “Google” has even been added to the dictionary…what next? As the world evolves, so will our vocabulary and languages. It is necessary so that we keep up with the changing world. The English language (and other languages) are changing especially with the brink of technology that revolves around our lives. Like the article said, “The lowly text message may lift obscure tongues to new levels of prestige…” This is ever so true. While text messaging may be “lowly”, it is a part of our everyday lives. The author of the article was told by a Torres Strait’s Island that, “Our language is standing still, we need to make it relevant to today’s society. We need to create new words, because right now we can’t say ‘computer.’” We are living in the age of technology, which brings new vocabulary words that we need to use.
While it is important that our languages evolve to adjust to the changing world, it is sad to see that the elders feel alone with their language. The purpose of language is to communicate, and since the younger generations do not have the interest in learning these languages, the elders have no one to communicate with, and thus their language no longer has a purpose. To be linguistically isolated is unimaginable. The individual in the article, Johnny, said “I have to talk to myself. There’s nobody left to talk to, all of the elders have passed on…” To me, this is very sad. I couldn’t imagine being the only person left speaking English and never having anyone to communicate with.
So after reading this article, I realize how important languages are to individuals and society. A lot is learned after reading a story like this. We should never take our languages for granted, because you never know when they could die out, and we are left with no one to communicate with.
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Maybe it’s just me, but after reading this article I feel very sentimental towards just the general idea of extinction. I know that compare to disasters like the earthquake in Haiti, or the economic crisis, the extinction of the Bo Tribal language seems to be not a big deal, but still, the general public would probably care more about gossip of a popular celebrity than the extinction of some ancient, archaic tribal language. I am an art enthusiast and I guess I would call myself artsy, and art of languages always intrigued and fascinated me, and it’s very sad to see a beautiful tribal language that once was probably the only form of communication for the Bo tribe go extinct. Unlike artworks or paintings that can be stored and copied to remain in our society, a language is gone when the last speaker passes away and sadly, it’s gone forever unless it is written or somebody else is willing to take the effort to learn the whole new language.
Is language’s purpose only to communicate? So the languages that people don’t use often, the ones that aren’t popular would just face the fate of extinction? It makes me worried that this is happening, on a bigger picture, it’s almost like the culture of diversity in our languages is going on a trend of narrowing down and diminishing one by one. I think as a society we need to put more attention to the 7000 languages that are still used today before they just slowly diminish behind our awareness. Language is a form of art as well and a major part of a culture, so it is important to take notice. When I was watching the video of the Indian Tao tribal woman that spoke the language, it sounded strange but very interesting nonetheless. Even though I couldn’t understand or differentiate between the vowels she was saying but it was a complete language for her and she is fluent in that language just like I am in English. Just as many companies and institutions try to promote diversity, on the other end of the spectrum is a scary thought of one day, people will be all mixed and all look the same!
I think that the main-stream culture is important to be part of, but I respect people who seek out subcultures or unique and less-known languages. I remember I went to Carnegie Mellon University to visit and heard that they offer a major called bagpipe under their music department and one person majored in it. It may seem funny, but I found it interesting. But what happens eventually when not many people choose bagpipe major is that the school will cancel the program, so what happens to choices and valuing art? It is just so disappointing that monetary issues have such a big impact on decisions and where our society is going
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This article brought to light something that hasn't ever crossed my mind. I never realized that there are still so many languages in the world today or that there is a problem with languages dying out. In reading Sam's blog my initial thought, after the surprise of finding out how many languages there are, was "If she was the last person to speak the language, then who did she talk to?" I was kind of amused by this thought and it really did make me wonder. It is sad because language was created in order to help people communicate. It enables us to connect with each other and express otherwise abstract thoughts but when it becomes so desolate, then the few people that speak that language are isolated.
The BBC article touched on the sadness of this when it quoted Johnny Hill Jr., the last speaker of Chemehuevi. He said "I have to talk to myself. There's nobody left to talk to, all the elders have passed on, so I talk to myself… that's just how it is." Its disheartening to see languages die. Ancestors developed these languages that were essential to their people of the time and shaped the culture of people today. It sad seeing all of the work and history associated with these languages lost.
On the other hand it seems almost inevitable that these languages are going to die out. In order for them to continue being used, people must speak it. The problem is that for new generations, there is little motivation to learn the languages of their ancestors. If I were to put myself in the shoes of a young member of a tribe I don't know if I would be interested in learning an old language because it is hard to see the value of the language, until it is already lost.
It becomes a question of who should take action or feel responsible for keeping the languages alive. Outside of linguists who have an apparent interest in the matter, who else should this issue be important to? I recognize that there is invaluable cultural history embedded in the languages, but they are not a part of my culture. Is it selfish to not feel a connection or obligation to the languages of people so distant from me? I like to think not, for the mere reason that there are so many cultures throughout the world that it is impossible to relate or understand all of them. At the same time, I can't help but hope that I am wrong in my thinking. I hope that others are able to relate to the cause and help the languages to remain in use and I hope that culture isn't lost in these areas that contain such a rich history.
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I could not imagine my language disappearing but I guess it happens. Image in a couple hundred years, English not existing anymore. It must be very hard for people of the culture. It would sadden me to know that my native language and my history have been lost forever. I feel like these are the things we should concentrate on and protect. Just as the extinct animal preservations, the languages should be preserved as well. Our culture would benefit from learning, become more interested, and be even more distinguished. For those of lost languages, their history and nativism is lost.
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Sam, I completely agree with your post and thoughts on this matter. It's so interesting to think about a language dying off and never to be heard again. And how that specific language at some point in time is what brought a people together, a community, a culture. The idea of language is just so fascinating. To think how dance, in Africa specifically, was such a huge part of how people communicated ideas and feelings with each other just exposes how powerful language is. Speaking a certain language is living in a specific type of world.
My roommate and I have actually have found ourselves having conversations like this with each other; sometimes after and nice "chill session" if you know what I mean. Just thinking back to the simple sounds of language that the cavemen used gives me this idea of how language has always had to exist in some way, shape or form. And I would guess that from that moment on a number of languages grew exponentially because of the different areas and cultures that these cavemen (humans) were surrounded with. It got to be over 7,000 different languages today? I mean, that's nuts!
I feel that a lot of these languages are bound to die off because of how small their communities are already. Also, if you think about it, our world as a whole is starting to make things (anything and everything) more universal. You see it's easier as an entire globe to move forward in thinking by making tools and mediums universal. Because of this, it leads me to be that the rate these languages die off will not be declining anytime soon. You're right though, Sam, it's such an interesting thing to ponder and to think how you feel about it. To never hear this specific language, this thing that has lived within a certain people, is very sad in a way; maybe not as huge as the dinosaurs going extinct, but it's just so weird to think how many languages 100 years from now won't exist anymore. The only traces left of these languages will be in documents and writings and art. They'll be in film and poetry and music. They'll be left in a lot of forms of "artifacts" and that's how they'll be seen even though a language is so much more than that.
But I guess that that's just life, right? I mean, The only way to preserve a language is to practice it and I could probably only name enough languages on my two hands that the world as a whole would be willing to try and practice for the sanctity of keeping a language, a culture alive and breathing. Even then, I don't think it could be done because I know that this planet is bound to become completely universal faster than we expect.
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At first I saw this article and video and it really didn’t hit me. I didn’t think it was a big deal that a language was being lost forever. If she was the only speaker of the language alive, there is nobody else for her to talk to anyways so why did it matter if she died.
I thought about it for a bit and realized how foolish it was to look at it like this. Like stated, this language has being spoken for tens of thousands of years. The fact that it is completely gone now is definitely a sign of the times. It makes me wonder how many of the 7 thousand other languages currently being spoken will be lost during my lifetime. With every language that dies, a culture and identity dies with it. Nobody will ever be born again and taught that language, which is a very upsetting thing. It leads me to believe that someday, somehow, there will be a universal language. The fact that hundreds/thousands of years ago there were hundreds of different dialects and languages being spoken in every part of the world, and now most regions have only between one and five languages now being spoken in it can speak for itself. I really believe that someday there will be a universal language. The world will be an incredibly boring and uniform place when this happens. Unfortunately it probably will happen because of convenience for all. There is no way of telling what language will end up being this language, but as the smaller languages die off many people are taught more popular languages.
Latin was at one point one of the most important and used languages in the world. Today Latin is basically dead. Sure, it is used for a lot of formal ceremonies and still used in many fields of science, but as far as conversation goes it is rarely if ever used. Latin’s lack of use after being so prominent proves that this can happen to any language. Who’s to say that English will even still exist 500 years from now? It is entirely possible it will be overtaken by French or Spanish, or hell Mandarin Chinese. The culture we have as American’s will not be there without the English language. Sure, the country and land could still exist but if people are going to McDonald’s and ordering in another language, it will be a completely different place.
Hopefully this never becomes an issue. In a perfect world, all of these lost languages would be revived and the native people who used to speak them would go back to their roots. We all know this will never happen unfortunately, so the best we can hope for is that our current languages are all preserved and left how they are today.
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It is actually quite sad losing a language that many have spoke at one time and now it is no longer used. As many others who speak English as their primary language I believed it would be so much easier if everyone spoke ours but after watching the video, it's like a group of people have just been completely wiped out. That may be a little extreme but language is the easiest way to distinguish someone and with a language being gone for good even if it wasn't known still makes you think. How many more languages will be washed out because of the same fate?
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It is sad to see elements of someone's culture dissolving into extinction. However, we are living in an age of global interaction and easy international communication. We can mourn for the memories and a system of communication that has brought many people together. On the other hand, we can celebrate how it is becoming easier for even more people to meet and be brought together over growing international networks. Culture and Society is changing as it has always been, not crumbling around us. Brand new cultures and traditions are constantly being created but unfortunately others are fading into the past.
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This story is very strange to me, and it raises a lot of questions. Like, is the language really dead if we have recordings of it? Didn't the linguist understand what she was saying, somebody put in the captions. And nobody forced the people to stop speaking this language if dies off I think its really just another form of evolution. Why do people stop speaking a certain language? This story is a little sad, but my opinion is that this was there choice. At some point they made the choice to stop teaching this language, they must have had a reason. I guess I'm not really that upset over this story.
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After reading this article it made me think a lot more about the pitfalls of globalisation. To think that the children of natives speakers no longer wish to learn their native tongue, and interact with their culture and heritage is a sad state of affairs. With globalisation in full force there is an ever increasing need for a common language. It is no longer economically viable to speak in a language unknown to nearby or distant trading partners. Unfortunately, whilst it hits a nerve to watch the video of a dying language, it is a side effect of the period of globalisation we are now committed to. On a less severe level, as a native Englishman, I have witnessed the domination of English in continental Europe. For instance, in the Mediterranean Island of Malta, English is now taught above Maltese, with many of the children not obtaining fluency in their own language, this a result of the growing importance of international tourism on the island.
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I do feel for the cultures that have been lost through time. A way of life, that was so important to many, is just a glitch in the radar to others. The diversity of the world is what makes this place so special. Imagine a world where the culture was the same everywhere and everyone spoke the same language. What a boring world that would be. Unfortunately, that is the path our world is taking. Not anytime soon, but far into the future, if we stay on this same road, that world may just become a reality. Unique cultures will be long forgotten. I could never live in a world like that. I don't know though, maybe that's just me. But watching this video, painted that picture in my head and it was a scary thought. We need to appreciate all cultures, because no matter how small, they still played a part in getting us where we are today.
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I never realized that so many languages would be lost over time. I guess I always thought that people would teach their children to speak their language and they would then teach their children, and the language would just be passed on. I guess somewhere it stops though. Especially with so many immigrants coming to the United States, their children are learning to speak English and don’t even know how to speak their own language that their parents and grandparents grew up speaking, so it could be very easy for a language to eventually die out; especially since learning English is becoming increasingly popular. For instance I know in Israel, they are required to learn English in school, as I’m sure is the case in other countries as well. If more and more people are learning to speak the same language, other languages will die out. I definitely think that losing a language is an awful thing because it’s taking away part of a culture and its history.
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That there are nearly 7000 languages in use around the world I think is amazing. I think that this shows that the human mind is capable of understanding in many different ways some of which are constantly evolving. I find it amazing that so many have stayed with us in an ever changing and evolving modern era. I agree that any language that is lost is a tragedy and that a record of the language should continue to exist so that the pain and hopes of an entire culture are not lost to the sands of time. However dying languages are just as much a part of life as death itself. Cultures evolve and people change as does the language. Latin is a dead language yet it is till studied and practiced by millions of people. Languages that have lost a culture which speaks it is not a such a tragedy as a language which is forever lost to us because it may have been an oral language and no recordings are left or a written language and all forms of the script are lost. There should be some way to catalogue the languages so that they are not lost. With this the languages can still be part of the historic human record and the culture is not lost. When the last native speaker of the Bo died it was a tragedy however it shows us that we need to try to preserve the languages that have a threat to their continued existence. The problem with languages is that most are not written and most are all oral languages. It is often difficult to catalogue these languages and as part of the historic human record these languages show a major part of the history of mankind with a single culture. Losing a language is like losing the artifacts from the Incan or from the ancient Egyptians. If we lost those we would have lost a major part of our past. The Egyptians language wasn’t even deciphered until the Rosetta stone was discovered and the Egyptian language of hieroglyphics was readable. Languages like the Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics need to be preserved not just because of the history behind the languages but also because of the culture that the language represents. It offers insight into the lives of the people who used the language everyday and every time a language dies the people who lived with it die again too. Dying is natural part of life but what we do lives on through our children and through books, stories and languages. We can live on with what we do to the world but if that is lost then we are nothing.
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It makes me sad to think about the number of languages we will lose within the next 50 or so years. Language is something more than communication. Language is culture and when the language dies, part of the culture dies with it. I do not think you’re too sentimental at all. That’s how I am too. It’s sad to think that these words will never again be heard and the culture that comes with it will slowly die away. I think I would feel a little worse about this if it was a language I knew or that my family knew. All in all it is sad to hear about.
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Language is universal. It awakens the soul and it is hard to think of a life without it. Imagine the language you speak now, it slowly gets over taken and soon to be forever lost. In 50 years, the language you speak, think, write, and communicate in could be merely a memory. I find these thoughts pretty scary. It saddens me to know though that it is happening. We are losing languages, an essential part to human interaction. If you think about how many languages we have now, and then think about how many we have lost, it is mind blowing. It amazes me to think about how many different ways we can come up with sayings and meanings for everything in life. It is even more amazing that there is still so many more ways to create a language even if you think all the ideas have been used. I feel like in today’s culture, a lot of people are very nonchalant about the fact that this lady was the last to speak this tribal language. I believe that a lot of Americans think the whole world should just speak English and forget about every other language. But it’s not just about language; the language people speak is their culture. It relates to their way of life. When you lose a language you lose a culture, a group of people’s sense of pride and foundation. I personally think it’s beautiful when people of different languages interact, even if they have no idea what each other are saying. When I was in Germany, I had a wonderful experience of being exposed to people from all over the world for World Youth Day. Although I was unable to speak any of the foreign languages, I still tried to interact and managed to somehow communicate with these people. Hearing all those different languages is like music to my ears, and then listening the to video I think about how that language will never be heard again. Language is also more then just words. It has so much meaning in everything it does. It can be sarcastic, moody, and happy; it can be intellectual or silly; it has endless possibilities. I really hope that people start looking at the deeper meaning of things. Today many people are so busy doing this and that that they only want to scratch the surface of things and never really want to look deep into anything. I hope people look deep into cultures, their culture, and others culture and discover the beauty of them. The beauty of their language and its meaning. Without language where would we be? Well I personally don’t want to find out, so I hope we can stop these languages from dying and keeping the unique beauty of everyone’s cultures alive.
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It is hard to imagine that a language can die out. It seems like it is our fault that we let this happen. You would think that with all of our technical capabilities that we would be able to keep the language somewhat intact. I did not even have a clue about the number of languages that exist today. Even if there are only small variations in languages, it is a huge amount of languages. It may not compare as well as a lost language, but with the death of Michael Jackson we lost the last era of amazing Pop music. There will never be anyone as successful. This lost language has a huge impact on the history of the Bo. The language lasted 70,000 years. I’m surprised this is not a bigger deal.
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This is sad. People die everyday from everywhere of the world. Good things disappear. Old ways fade and never show up again. Some small ethnicities just simply disappear from the world because of disasters. There are always things out of our control. We are soooo helpless in front of the nature. No matter if you believe in God or not, there are things we can't change-death, sadness, the evolution. These things are too big to be held on our hands. Whenever seeing this type of video, my mood goes down. I always think that the stronger ethnics should help the weaker ethnics. Because we all are sons of God, we all dance, we all sing.
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It is a shame that many languages around the world will become extinct, but the fact that there are still 7,000 languages documented is amazing. I believe that it is a natural process for a language to die out, but it is the beginning languages that help shape the current languages of today. Many words in the English dictionary derived from other languages that are not as well known today. Who knows, maybe the dominating languages that we know today will eventually be replaced in a few hundred years by a more efficient language. It is sad to see them go but it is also exciting to see what progresses.
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Fascinating. How could you not be moved by something like this? It is not just the end of a language for many cultures but, in many, ways putting away so much history. I listened to Boa Sr's voice over and over, just because I could not believe this will never be heard again. I like how the article explains how vital language is. It tells so much about a culture. It is how they express their feelings and beliefs. it reveals what is of value to certain peoples. How are these languages supposed to survive? How can they keep up with the changing world? Adapting other words from other cultures is not keeping the language alive. I guess it is in the hope of the children.
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It is clear that language is a form of communication universally. With every language, there is a culture linked with it. If we all took a few minutes from listening to our iPods or talking on the phone, you would see what I am getting get. Just look at Penn State's campus. There are numerous languages spoken. Even different forms of English is spoken among the students. My point is that language is very important and most of us, take it for granted. We do not ever stop and think about issues like the one in this article. This article really got me thinking. I sit here wondering about the Bo language is gone forever. That is crazy because language is not just language. With the language gone forever, also means that tribe culture is pretty much gone as well. Whatever traditions and rituals that tribe may had are also gone. It saddens me to read about this. I honestly wouldn't know what I would to if my native language (Punjabi) was gone forever. Even being raised in the States my entire life, my Punjabi culture is very important to me. Primarily, the reason being is there is so much culture that is connected to the Punjabi language. For example, there is music and dance, religious practices, and even memories. So it really saddens me to know how their is so much lost once a language is lost. Anyone who thinks that nothing else was lost, then (in my opinion) you are an idiot – sorry but you are. I mean, look at the Bo tribe. This tribe was around for 65,000 years. This tribe similar to any other culture had their own unique traditions, music, dance, and history. Unfortunately, the last member of the Bo tribe took more than the language with her when she passed away.
I think it is really important for language to be passed down from one generation to another. How else will it continue? I am sure there be a point where some language will be gone forever, but I believe that parents should teach their children their native language. It is something to hold onto as long as possible. It isn't as if I want people to separate from one another based on language; all I am saying is that every language is important. Sometimes other people do not understand the importance of someone else’s language. That really bothers me. For example, I hate when people think because I live in a English speaking country, that all I should speak is English. They do not know the advantages of knowing more than a language or the culture tied to that language. I do not blame them, but why should I not pass down the Punjabi language to my children one day. I do not want my language to die off one day and everything with it is lost too. I am sure many others will feel the same as I do about their language – even the native English speakers.
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It is sad to think that an entire language has disappeared, but really is it that hard to believe? Think of how many people are out there and how many people have walked this earth. There are probably millions of languages that we've never heard of, like this one, which don't really make any difference in our lives. Not to sound egocentric, but really, the death of this language probably affected ten people. It's just like anything else that has been outdated. We rarely use paper filing systems now because of computers. Even paper money could be outdated someday, we use debit and credit cards everywhere. College students use their IDs for everything from building entry, to buying something downtown, to taking a test. Everything in this world will eventually be here no longer. It is crazy to think about and when a story like this comes about it makes it seem so real. In reality this is already happening all around us in one form or another.
However, this story did make me feel bad that we let languages and cultures slip away so easily. In the age that we are living in now, you'd think someone would have an interest in learning this culture and language to keep it alive. I guess when it's time, it's time. I can't imagine being the last speaker of my cultures language. I would feel pressure to teach someone everything I know. It's kind of a kick in the ass to her ancestors to let this happen. Don't get me wrong, it is in no way at all her fault that this piece of history is just that, history. I would just feel responsible for letting it happen. It is cool that this was actually recorded and made a story so that people like me, who would never even know about it otherwise, were able to learn and reflect on how big of a deal it actually is. I know I sound wishy washy about this blog but I have a hard time really relating especially when I see this happening all around us. But I also feel deep regret that in this day and age we can't keep this culture alive.
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Sobering is a great word for what is happening to the other languages of the world. It is pretty wild to think that languages that people have been using to communicate for centuries are becoming extinct. Extinct is something that plants and animals become, not means of communication and culture. As Sam states, many more of the languages that are being used today will be gone come time we are dead, and it is just as sad as any funeral that goes on. I enjoyed the video because of the praise that the woman received because of this loss and I think that people should show a great deal of respect to language and what it brought to the people of that tribe.
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It is very sad to hear of the extinction of a sixty five thousand year old tribe in the Andaman Islands. The news of this story made me feel two emotions. First was sadness coupled with the feeling of “why didn’t we document more of their culture” and the second was a feeling of indifference. Now don’t get me wrong, this is a tragic story but that’s the way the world works. The world, with the advanced developments in technology, has become a much globalized world. In a globalized world the world leader’s ideology, culture and languages will become the dominant ones. It can be compared to Darwin’s Theory of evolution. Survival of the fittest. Every language in the world has the possibility of becoming extinct. This in a way ties into the past few lectures in sociology 119. Yes, it might have been luck that other languages developed in more fruitful locations in the world thus giving them the advantage to survive but being able to survive for sixty five thousand years, in my opinion, negates that argument. My best explanation is that the Bo tribe in the Andaman Islands just could not keep up with the world and fell under the trampling feet of that same expanding world. So is it a shame? Yes it is and we as a world community should take steps to preserve cultures. However on the other hand I don’t hear of many people crying about the extinction of Neanderthal man and they shouldn’t because its just the way of the world.
On the other hand, was more not done to document and save this tribes culture at least for the history books. Being a student of history, I am fascinated in the idea of trying to recreate what life was like in the past and this was a perfect opportunity for that. This elderly lady held the key to a remarkable amount of knowledge about the past. Anthropologists and Archeologists should have been aware of the declining population and recorded more of the tribe’s history. Is that not their job in a way? I think this was a failure on their part.
I do have some questions though. What major events led up to the extinction of the Bo tribe? I know I said globalization and technology but what exactly did happen? I say this because there are remote tribes in the pacific islands or the aborigines of Australia that are still with us on this world? Why haven’t they crumbled like the Bo tribe? What makes them better? Also could this be the Bo tribes own fault? What made them stop reproducing? So in summary this is a saddening story of a lost culture but things like this are bound to happen.
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This article really caught my eye for a couple of reasons. First of all, I really love learning different languages, even though I only really know English, almost Spanish, and a little French and sign language. More importantly, my professor for my English class was talking about this last semester, the power of languages. It’s difficult to really think about language outside the general concept of learning grammar and memorizing vocabulary, but in reality, language can be (and is) so much more than that. Language is a result of culture and history. Culture and history are a result of language. It’s fascinating to see how they interact. That’s a big part of the reason why the “English-only” movement in America has been met with so much adversity from Spanish and other non-English speakers; because language isn’t just about what word set you use, it’s about culture, and power.
Languages bring people together not only because they allow us to communicate, but because of the background, history, and intricacies that fill each language and make it unique in a way no amount of grammar charts could ever describe. One of my favorite things to do when I was supposed to be paying attention in high school English was to open my dictionary and look up etymologies. There is so much history, so much background to the words we use everyday! Our culture has been shaped and will continue to be shaped by our language, the shared bond we hold in how we communicate. As society grows and changes, this is reflected in our language. And as our language grows, so does our society. They reflect each other. So to lose a language that is tens of thousands of years old is not merely to lose a set of words and structures that can convey meaning. If that were all it was, there would be no loss, no grief, for we have other sets of words and structures, other languages, that we could replace it with. By losing another ancient language, we have lost so much more than that. We have lost thousands of years of culture and history. We have lost a chance to understand how the people who spoke this language evolved over the generations into the complex and unique society that they previously were. So much can be learned by analyzing a language, and so much of oral tradition and history can only be truly understood in the language that it originated from. As each language dies out, so too does our chance of learning from them.
That doesn’t mean that we should stop learning new languages, or stop allowing our language to evolve. There’s a big difference between language evolution and language death, if you will forgive my made-up terms. There is a significant difference between English a thousand years ago and English today, as anyone who has ever had to read Beowulf in Old English will tell you. It’s practically a completely different language. But our modern English has been allowed to evolve, to move with the cultures and societies that use it. Language is a living thing and should always be allowed to change. But for an entire language to completely die out, that is a tragedy. That probably sounds weird, considering the amount and degree of atrocities committed in the world, to consider language loss a tragedy, but I think it is. So many opportunities to learn are wasted when this happens. It upsets me when people say that English is the “best” language and that “everyone should use it”; don’t they see that they are discounting not only the other languages, but the cultures and histories of the people who use them?
But I digress. This was a really interesting article, and I’m glad I read it.
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I think it is a shame that the language is dead. To me, language is far more than a means of communication and the fact that so many are dying off means that history and knowledge of culture is leaving with them. I love that there are so many different languages spoken around the world because it shows how much history there is and how may different cultures there are around us. In the clip it said that there are around 7,000 languages spoken today. To me, it shows how many different cultures there are within one country. A tiny example of this is english. There are so many variations of the english language in different parts of the world. Language allows people to feel closer to home and their culture. Switzerland for example has a german speaking part. This is because that part has many people from germany and therefore they all speak german together.
language is very interesting as it tells you alot about someones background. Language gives you a sense of belonging to wherever you are from and i find it very sad that languages are dying off because that means that a big part of history is dying with it. I am from the middle east and there are soo many different variations of the arabic language. Each variation holds its own culture and tridition. This is the same with most countries and i think that it is extremeley important to keep languages alive so their history can stay alive with them.
I love being able to speak the language of the country i come from. I feel closer to the people around me and also more into the culture that i am surrounded by. There is not much arabic spoken in the states, however when i hear somebody i dont even know speak it around me i suddenly feel more at home.
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It is weird to think that the words of the language will never be heard again. Language is unique to a culture and makes them who they are. Language can essentially define a community or society. Even though Sam stated in his blog that we “should” feel some way about the language never being spoken again, even though it doesn’t affect me it makes me feel some sort of sentiment towards the topic. Not only will the words never be spoken again but the tradition and language that tied that culture together has also met its end. It still is a wonder to me why no one else but her knew how to speak the language. Why would she not have taught someone the language?
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Its funny how I was thinking about this same exact topic day after the earthquake shook Haiti. I don’t know if funny is the right choice of word but the earthquake made think about the consequences if the Haitian people, living in Haiti of course, were erased form the face of the earth. The Haitians speaks a unique and beautiful dialect of Creole. My mother was born in Haiti and she taught me this beautiful language and I can tell you this is one of the most unique language I’ve ever heard in my life. A language is a way of bringing people from a certain area together, if the last person of that area dies, it’s not really a lost to the world. Without those people in that particular area, the language is no longer needed. God bless her by the way, may she rest I peace.
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It’s funny to think about the idea of a language disappearing, not to mention the effects. Certainly on one hand I’ve always thought that the day when we speak just one language will be a great step forward for our global society. After all, nothing helps further understanding and awareness like the ability to communicate. The language barrier has always inhibited this, and people that don’t speak the native or “official” language of where they live can easily find themselves on the receiving end of some bigotry. At the same time, history is not a renewable resource, once it’s gone, it’s gone for good. Even if it’s no longer relevant to our society in the practical sense, something like a language is still an important part of where we came from, how we developed, and it’s something that should be remembered.
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It was really sad to watch the video, listening to this woman speak, and knowing that these were some of the last words to ever be spoken not only as a human, but the last words to be spoken for an entire language. This is a language that has been used for longer than I could even possibly imagine, and now it’s gone and will never be used again. I think that it is extremely important for us as a world to preserve these languages, so that we can keep the history of a culture alive, even when the people of it are no longer living. The history of a culture needs to be celebrated and we need to do what we can to help the legend of them to live forever.
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This just blows my mind. It made me wonder how this happens? How does a language just die like that? Why do people decide not to learn one language and decided to learn another one instead? I did not even know that there were over than 7,000 different languages now! I cannot even imagine all of the information that is lost with every language that dies. What if this lady was close to curing cancer? All of her work would be lost because no one took the time to learn this language. It honestly is mind-boggling. Additionally so much culture is lost. It's almost like part of the world is lost.
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Along with everyone else, I also found this article and video to be very sad, but at the same time, I found them to be very eye-opening. It makes me think about our society and the English language. Unless we're learning a foreign language, we often don't think about how complex the English language really is. With all of the modern technology that now exists, it worries me that one day we will not longer speak, think, or write in full words or complete sentences. For example, I'm very used to texting as one of my main forms of communication. Honestly, texting is doing nothing helpful for our society except making us lose the importance of face-to-face communication and full words. Instead of saying, "Goodbye, I will see you later!…we become used to the popular, shortened version: "Bye, c ya l8er!" These new forms of technology are essentially making the English language disappear, just like the Bo language has now disappeared with the unfortunate death of the tribe's last native speaker. Essentially, texting is Americans' form of causing the English language to disappear. I think we all tend to believe that the English language will inevitably live forever, even after all of us are gone (since Dr. Richards stresses to us that we are all going to die someday, so we better get used to this concept)…but what if it doesn't? Or texting ruins it? And we are forgotten forever? We think this could never happen because we are from the homeland, America, the most dominant and best country in the world…we can't be forgotten…but, what if…? Asking these "what if" questions should be something we do more often. We need to consider the possibility that we aren't invincible…just like the Bo tribe probably thought they were at one point in time…but now they're gone…forever. In order to not be forgotten, we need to still embrace the power of the complete word. I know that when my parents say certain words, I have no idea what they mean…and I even tend to know more vocabulary than my fellow young adults. This means that vocabulary and the English language are dying out. This is mainly because we spend our time texting, going on Facebook, and reading trashy gossip magazines; whereas, our parents at our age were still wasting time, yet probably picked up a book or two much more often than we do. We need to save our language, because it is a custom and a tradition that cannot fizzle out. Language is our main form of communication, and we cannot let technology take over. The only way we are going to be remembered is if we leave something to be remembered by: language (preferably through the written word, unlike the spoken word of the Bo tribe which was never written down to be saved.)
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I think that it is upsetting to lose a language; language is part of your culture. It is who you are and what made you unique and I think that it is sad that from the video the last person to speak that language died. But I’m sure that someone had to know the language that lives around that area and maybe someone happened to learn the language that they haven’t met yet. I think that there would be at least a group of people left that may know the language and that it couldn’t be completely gone from that culture forever, there has to be some kind of existence for it.
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As a few others mentioned, I have never really thought about this topic before. It is quite intriguing, especially since it seems that people are more concerned with the upcoming languages in the world rather than the ones that are dwindling down. I wasn’t really sure how to feel about the video. A melancholy shadow kind of took over me and seemed a bit scary to think about too. In addition, I enjoyed the article, but it again seems that the people who are amongst these dying languages have a sadness to them and a fear of its discontinuation. I immediately started to wonder what will happen if/when the English language dies. Though it may be many many years from now, it’s an interesting concept. Hmmm…Sleep on that.
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I think it is very sad that no one will ever hear the words of that woman's language ever again. Language is an essential part of culture, and without culture how will we as people know who we are? If we didn't have language, how in the world would communication? Language is not only spoken but is also depicted through sign. I would feel empty if I did not have my dual culture as a Puerto Rican and an African American. I can speak fluent English because of my father and I am in the process of learning Spanish through my mother. I feel a special connection to those who speak the same language as I do. It makes everything easier. Language barriers make life complicated. I feel like I belong with my language.
But I am still astonished that her language is dead. What if English became a dead language? I wonder what the world would predominately speak. Spanish? Mandarin? Who knows? It is a scary thought for myself because English is my first language. Or what if I was like the woman who was the only speaker? She must have felt terrible knowing that she could not use her native language to communicate with others. It was all in her thoughts.
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I think that this is sad that this language will never be heard again. However, I also think that the diversity of different languages is great, but the passing of one language is somewhat insignificant. I like the diversity of different language and cultures, but I think less languages may actually be better. We are heading toward a global economy, why not a global language. Only English and French are used at the Olympics. I also think in general Americans have are discontent that not everyone may speak English and lose their temper way too easily when it comes to ESL speakers.
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Wow! I cant believe this! The last person to speak in a tribal language?? What has the world come down too? I think that’s so sad when culture dies down to no extent. This probably makes me the biggest hypocrite because when I think about this, my parents speak in a south Indian dialect. They speak to me in this language, and my response is English. I never really spoke back in their language, and they never pushed me to learn to talk to them back in it. But, after reading this blog things should probably change on my end. I would never want to be the last speaker of a native language that has been passed on for generations.
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It is almost sad that such a long spoken language will never be heard again. If not sad it is at least worth pondering, in another thousand years what will be left of our culture and language. Will everything we hold dear have vanished or will it still be around? If nothing is left of what we know, what will replace it? With things changing almost on a daily basis I feel that is still important to try to learn from the past and other cultures. Modern civilizations have also helped to preserve some cultures as in the Navajo and a written language being created from what was only spoken. Now there are a lot of stories and oral tradition that can be written down and preserved.
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Language can be grouped into many broad definitions such as communication with words, speech of a group, and system of communication. Language can be considered so much more than that. Way back in history when words as we know it didn’t exist and sounds were the main means of communication, that language held such value. Even as the years went on from those days language still had a huge value. Language was a means to pass down stories amongst a native people. These stories weren’t just stories to them; they held the history of their people, the keys to life, and these stories is what made who those people who they are. So in contrast, language can be considered as identity. Where is that definition of language though? When you think about it, if language is connected to identity then if a language dies, does the previous existence of the group people tied to the language die with it too? In my opinion, I believe so based on the simple fact that if these people weren’t able to effectively make their existence known outside themselves then they too will suffer the same fate. For instance the woman mentioned here, now that she is dead and along with her, her language; what or who is it, besides the people branched from her tribe that is going to continue the existence of the tribe of which she came from? Inevitably the existence of her tribe shall die with her too. That is how strong language is and people fail to realize. It is taken for granted that our languages such as English, Spanish, French, etc. will last forever because there is a large amount of us who still survive and speak the language, thus keeping it “alive”. Now what if one of the languages listed above took over the other, then most likely the newer generations will have adapted to the new language, losing the language spoken by their ancestors and then ultimately losing the history as well. The passing down of those old stories is key to survival especially when still kept in the native tongue. Even if the language itself isn’t spoken anymore but as long as there are people with the knowledge to speak it can those native people existence still remain. I mean when you think about it if you’re telling the story of in the native tongue but can’t decipher what is being said, what is the use? This can be related to a ghost, a ghost still exists in this world but lack the ability to communicate within it. For now that language can be considered as a ghost. Language is an entity but not a lot of people seem to realize that.
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I think this is crazy. Crazy cool—she was the LAST person to ever speak that language. I never really thought about that: the death of languages, that is. Who did she communicate with? Was she bilingual? On a more serious note, this IS as awesome as Sam has said. I kind of got the chills listening to her speak. I can’t really explain it but its almost humbling, like there are so many other things out there so much larger than our own lives and the things I think/fret/worry about like whats going to be on my next exam or just all the other very menial things I think about. Its kind of nice to stop for a moment, think, and check out the bigger picture. You know?
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The loss of a language is heartbreaking and saddening news. It just shows we focus on everything but things that matter. For example in the new movie star trek, Spock (Sylar from Heroes) is willing to risk his life logically to rescue the history of his entire people. Not sure how many of us would ever be able to even fathom the sheer magnitude of a decision like that but history is supposed to be preserved through time. This is why I believe that it is truly a devastating loss and I agree with Dr. Richards whole heartedly on this.
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I found a few interesting facts from this article. First, I didn’t realize that there are still more than 7000 languages around the world today. It seems a lot. If I estimate the number of existing language now, I would guess about few hundreds languages. Personally, I can speak few languages. I speak English, Korean, and some Japanese. I also learned Chinese when I was a little girl, but I forgot them all. Learning Language is very difficult and important. It is not just about learning how to communicate, but also understanding their different culture. For example, as I am a Korean, I had very hard time in speaking English when I first came to American. Even I was educated and taught English since I was seven years old. The grammar, vocabulary and expressions are so different from the place where I came from. I didn’t have that hard time learning in chinese and Japanese. It is because Korean, Japanese ad Chinese share lots of common culture, life style and similar expression.
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This is a very interesting article as well as a very interesting concept. As I initially approached the thought of losing a language, I immediately wondered if that meant that all of the human beings belonging to that certain culture had died. It was as if BBC and others cared more about spurring thoughts about losing a language rather than spurring thoughts about why all of these people were dying off. I quickly came to realize that I was mistaken in my thoughts and that, in fact, these people were living to very old ages. Why then were they the last person to speak the language? Did they not have children? Grandchildren? This also did not seem to be the case. What I then realized was that these losses of languages were a direct result of the extreme globalization of human beings over the past 10-15 years. Being 22 years old and growing up alongside of the internet, I do not really know how the world used to operate. I do know, though, that at any time throughout the day I can communicate with people from China, Africa, or even Iraq thanks to the far reaching hand of the world wide web. Thinking of the world in this way really makes you wonder how truly surprising it is that languages are dying off. Languages, although beautifully tied into the rich essence of culture, are mechanisms that were utilized to communicate and survive. Many of these “dead” languages were never spoken outside of small villages or communities. If descendents of these villages are now integrated into communities where English, Spanish, Mandarin, or any other mainstream language are used by the majority, then their need for the language of their ancestors is very little. As the need for these languages diminish, as does the amount of people who regularly speak it. As Johnny Hill, Jr of the Chemehuevi tribe said, “There's nobody left to talk to, all the elders have passed on, so I talk to myself… that's just how it is." Aside from being very sad, this quote really sums it all up. If the need for the language is gone, it is inevitably going to fizzle away.
One thing I want you to remember is that I find this situation to be very sad and unfortunate. As is the situation of technology and complete globalization which, in a way, inevitably strips human beings of their culture and identity. With globalization and the rapid advancement of technology, humans are no longer reliant on one-on-one contact with other humans, which to me is the real tragedy. The loss of languages is simply a small, early side effect.
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The message behind this blog post and the story of Boa Sr is very profound, if you ask me. Language has always been a personal interest of mine; I wish I could devote more time to learning more languages because of the communication and culture it opens you up to. I stopped taking Spanish classes as a sophomore here at Penn State, and I regret not sticking with it as a minor. I think the important thing to realize about language is that it isn't strictly for communication, although that could be considered the main purpose. Languages are gateways to new cultures, new meanings, and new forms of art as well. Traditional Irish folk, French rap, Spanish literature…there are countless examples of art and music that I've experienced that make a strong argument for the protection of language. Of course it's unlikely French and Spanish are going to be extinct anytime soon if ever, but that's not the point. Other languages give you a unique perspective on the people who speak them. Furthermore, there are ways to express things in certain languages that don't exist in others. I know Spanish has many of these words and phrases from studying it; for example, "estadounidense," like Sam mentioned in class a few weeks ago.
Studying abroad in Galway, Ireland last year gave me some insight into "dead" languages, particularly Irish Gaelic. There are regions of Ireland (Connemara, the Aran Islands) where Irish is spoken called "gaeltacht," but for the most part, no one speaks it. I lived with four Irish guys who knew some words and phrases they learned from school and colloquial sources, but no one of our generation spoke it fluently or frequently. The Irish language can be found in writing throughout the country though; in Dublin for example, all the tram stops are spoken over the loudspeaker in English and Irish. And in Galway, almost all of the street signs, shop fronts, and school buildings have Irish and English on them. On the Aran Islands, most people speak Irish fluently and consider it their native tongue, but for tourism purposes, everyone also speaks English. It's difficult to read and speak, has Nordic origins from what I recall, and the letters do not make the same sounds that they do in English (for example, "bh" makes a "v" sound). I'm not entirely sure of this, but I believe that the Irish government has historically and currently supported the use of Irish Gaelic and intends to keep it alive. For example, I heard from my Irish roommates that students who opt to take classes in Irish and write papers in Irish can receive certain academic distinctions. However it seems that despite these efforts the Irish language will fade away in the future long before English and the other romance languages. And that's a shame; I heard a folk band sing a song in Irish in a pub in Galway once and it was easily one of the most beautiful things I had ever heard. It seems wrong that culture should die out like this, but with the existence of globalization and the rise of a more inter-connected world, it looks like some languages will become casualties of the system. Think of how many people from other countries can speak English, but how many Americans only speak English.
I suppose as English speakers we'll all get over it.
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It is a tragedy that all things come to an end, but that’s just the circle of life, the way of everything. We are all going to die someday. It is sad knowing that with this death came the loss of a language and part of a culture, but it has to make you wonder what our world is going to be like generations from now, centuries even. What will be left? What else can be forgotten. I just can't believe that he had no one to talk to in that language at all, why wouldn't someone have passed it on?
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Seeing this video clip made me realize a lot, as we are moving day by day we are not realizing day by day how much we are losing around the world, but we tend to read what new technologies are coming and other things. Seeing this video made me realize that yes everything does end, a language 65,000 years old is now gone no one will ever speak it, not many people by next year will even know that it is extinct, or there was a language like this, and not many people knew about it when it wasn’t extinct. People now a day’s take for granted their culture and don’t really pay much attention to it. I speak three other languages other than English if I was to lose anyone of them I would feel that I lost a very big part of my culture.
Many people these days that are first generation kids in America like me seem to forget that this is our culture, being American is not really us, to each individual being an American might be different. We can still keep our culture and be Americans at the same time speaking different languages does not change who we are. My point I want to get across is I not only feel bad that this language is now extinct but makes me think that maybe one day one of my languages will be extinct and I won’t be alive for it, but I still would like my future family to know these languages and speak them.
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