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By the end of this century, more than a thousand languages could be extinct, researchers warn.
At least that is the result of a study conducted by the Australian National University (ANU), published in the online journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, which found that about half of the world’s existing languages are endangered and 1,500 may disappear by at the end of this century.
Researchers think that one of the main reasons for their disappearance is the creation of new infrastructural spaces that create even greater ease in the communication of different ethnicities. They say there are 7,000 known languages in the world, but most of them are in danger of disappearing soon.
“If the number of endangered languages is not controlled, then their number can be tripled. We can lose a language every month“, Said the authors of the study.
Therefore, experts advise the design of curricula for learning two languages, in order to encourage the learning of indigenous languages, as well as the use of regional languages and dialects.
Researchers have also found the underlying cause that threatens the existence of these languages. Among these causes is, for example, well-developed road infrastructure.
“We have found that the more paths there are, the higher the risk of extinction of some languagesSaid Lindell Bromham, one of the study’s authors. The explanation is simple: road links between some rural and urban areas help the dominant local languages to “kill” the smaller languages.
The study also contains data on the conservation of endangered languages of Indigenous peoples in Australia. According to study co-author Felicity Mickings, only 40 of the 250 former indigenous languages remain today, of which more than 10 are unlikely to be inherited by present-day descendants.
According to her, many of the endangered languages in this century can still be used.
“This means that we still have the opportunity to invest in individual communities to revitalize indigenous languages and preserve them for future generations.“, She added, referring to the next 10 years, which will be dedicated to the preservation of indigenous languages under the auspices of UNESCO from 2022 to 2032.
With this initiative, the United Nations wants to contribute to the preservation of linguistic diversity in the world.
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