2019 UN Year of Indigenous Languages
Out of 7000+ spoken languages around the world, according to UNESCO’s World Languages in Danger, nearly 228 languages have become extinct since 1950. Nearly 10 percent of the languages are classified ‘vulnerable,’ while another 10 percent are ‘critically endangered.’ In the case of India, five languages have become totally extinct since 1950, and 42 are considered critically endangered.
According to Ethnologue, a website that gives information about World languages, there are 3741 languages have fewer than 1,000 speakers. These languages will be classified under ‘critically endangered.’
Preserving the language is the most important thing. It contains the culture and heritage of the people who speak that language. The establishment of an online repository of languages (writing and audio-visual materials) is very much essential. Otherwise, we will surely lose thousands of languages.
By
Srini