阅读理解
Studying different languages increases our
understanding of how humans communicate and their different cultures. However, almost
80% of the people in the world speak only 1% of its languages. Every 14 days a language dies. By 2100, half
of the more than 7, 000 languages spoken on Earth today may disappear.
Throughout history, the languages of
dominant(统治的)groups have
spread while the languages of native cultures have become extinct. This
happens because of government language policies, or because the dominant
language becomes more useful in everyday life. Furthermore, many endangered languages
aren't written down. When the last speakers of a language die and their
language becomes extinct, their stories, songs, and other important information
are lost, too.
Central
South America has some of the world's most endangered languages. The Kallawaya
people speak a secret language that has details of thousands of medical plants.
Today, fewer than 100 people speak it. In Central and Eastern Siberia, many
Siberian languages now have only a few elderly speakers. Yuchi, which may be
unrelated to any other language in the world, is one of the many native
languages used in Oklahoma, the U.S.A. It is disappearing rapidly. In 2010, only
five elderly people could speak this language.
Luckily, native cultures around the world are
using modern technology to help keep their endangered languages and cultures
alive. Communities are creating dictionaries and libraries by using pictures, video,
and audio to record the traditions of the last speakers of their language. If
the young people don't speak and understand the words and stories of their
ancestors(祖先), the
language will die.
And when the language dies, part of the
culture dies, too.
