Here in Quebec, that question about language is really one of actuality and is at the heart of the politic scene. For a background overview of the linguistic aspects/issues here:
languages in use and
language policy in Canada.
And that question applies to everywhere in the world; in North America as a whole, especially with the Native languages, they begin to realise how important and rich of knowledge a language can be and what is lost when one disappears. Anthropologists were the firsts to be directly concerned by the effects the disappearance of a language bring, and now lots of efforts (but probably not enough) are made to promote original languages education and to at least keep/archive the knowledge of the already/soon to be lost language.
When is a language “dead” or “disappeared”? I think it is when it isn’t spoken/written anymore in common life; it would be endangered when it is no longer being spoken by the chilrden. And I’d definite a language as “lost” when it can’t be understood with enough certitude, even after very specialised and deep researches (like it is for some ancient Egyptian, on wich they can only roughly speculate).
I’m not up to do any prediction about how things would evolve in the future; but like Alrik, I think that languages disappearing because of English (or any other language it would be)’s spreading is not a good thing. But at the same time, the need to find a way to communicate with the world is real and funded.
A language is the expression of the history, context, color, culture, knowledge and wisdom of a people; through the etymology of each word, through every sens they may carry, though every proverbs and expressions, every dialect. That’s what a language is the key to, and if it is lost, then a lot of these aspects might disappear to the profit of common ones too.
Why are these aspects so important, and what would be negative if there came to be a common language/culture to everyone? It would be a lost of diversity; and diversity is a kind of “bumper” that keeps things balanced and moderate, that brings on more different points of view and ressources, wisdoms and knowledge. Differences are a richness.
Now what could be a solution? Imho, that passes by education. In peoples where English is not the natural language, the natural language has to be taught, promoted and valorised. English (or whatever language would be used as the “universal one”) should be taught too, but as a second language, a mean to communicate; not as an end as is the teaching of the natural language. That requires much efforts and means, though...
Here there are some means that were set in place in order to preserve & promote the French language, that conciliate with the “reality that english is needed to be known in order to be opened to the world” at this time. Laws in Quebec oblige products (at least the tags, instructions and manuals) sold here to be available in French (if not they can’t be sold at all), radios are obliged to play at least 60% (if not more) songs in French, on bilingual adds and signs French has to be written bigger (don’t remember the percentage) than english, essentisal services have to be offered in both languages and several ressources try to prevail immigrants in Quebec to learn and use French, etc.; in counterpart, as long as you are studying in French schools you have courses of English as a second language, including english course(s) related to the field of study you’re in after the general school levels. And in general French school levels (or as long as they are required in the different study programs), French courses are much more emphasized on, are bigger and absolutely have to be succeeded in order to obtain a diploma. All this may seem a bit fanatic to some, but it is something that was wanted by many people here in general and it seems to help the purpose it was created for. There are no such measures in place for the First Nation's languages but they're fighting for it.
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