Endangered
Languages
- Student 1 :
-
How many languages/
are there/ in the world?// - Linguist :
-
There are about 7,000.//
But about 40% of them/ are endangered languages.// One of them is Arta/in the Philippines.// Arta people live/on Luzon Island.// There are only about 15 people/who speak the language fluently.// - S1 :
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Can you tell me more/
about Arta?// - L :
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Traditionally,/
Arta people are hunters.// So/they have several words/ For example,/which express types of hunting.// the word “bugay ”/ The word “purab ”/means to go hunting/ with hunting dogs.// means to go hunting/ without dogs.// - S1 :
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That’s interesting.//
- L :
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Language is tightly connected/
with people’s lifestyles.//
- S2 :
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Can you give more examples/
of endangered languages?// - L :
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Sure.//
Tsimshian is an example from Canada.// It is a language/ which one of the indigenous peoples speak.// This language has a word “ts’iwox .”//It means/ to eat snacks/ before going to bed.// - S2 :
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That sounds fun!//
- L :
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Traditionally,/
Tsimshian people live by fishing/ After dinner,/and have an early dinner.// they often talk/ When they become hungry,/with their family or friends/ until late.// they eat snacks,/ including seafood.// - S2 :
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I see.//
How many speakers are there?// - L :
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Only about 100 speakers remain/
because many Tsimshian people use English/ This shows/instead of their own language.// major languages influence speakers/ of minority languages.//
- L :
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We have some endangered languages/
in Japan.// One of them/is the Ainu language.// There are at least 13,000 Ainu people/in Japan,/ but only a few of them/ are fluent Ainu speakers.// - S3 :
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Yes.//
I have heard of the Ainu word “iyomante ”,/ but I don’t know the meaning.// - L :
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“Iyomante ” is a
ceremony/
to send the soul of a bear/ Ainu people catch a young bear/to heaven.// and raise it/ After two years,/as a god.// they share the meat/ as a gift for humans/ and pray to nature.// - S3 :
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So/
the word includes a lot of things.// - L :
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That’s right.//
Even a single word/ can express complex cultural traditions.// In their own language,/Ainu people can fully express/ what they value/ in their culture.//
- S4 :
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Why do we have so many endangered languages?//
- L :
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First,/
there are economic reasons.// For example,/to get a good job,/ speakers of a minority language/ often need to speak a major language/ like English.// - S4 :
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I see.//
Are there any other reasons?// - L :
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There are political and social reasons,/
too.// For example,/when Japanese is the official language,/ speakers of a minority language/ need to use Japanese/ in many places/ such as public offices and schools.// - S4 :
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Can we do something/
to save endangered languages?// - L :
-
Yes.//
In New Zealand,/ the Maori language is taught/ Now,/at school.// more people are learning the language.// So/it is possible for us/ We can save endangered languages,/to increase the number of speakers.// and promote cultural diversity/ as well.//