This document is a presentation on language diversity and endangered languages. It discusses that there are over 6,000 languages in the world, though many are endangered and some have been lost. Reasons for language endangerment and loss include forced assimilation policies, loss of language domains and contexts of use, and population decline. Revitalizing endangered languages is possible, as shown through the examples of Hebrew, Maori, Hawaiian, and Wampanoag. Stages of language revitalization include increasing domains of use from the home to schools, media, and government. When fully revitalized, a language can transcend diglossia and be used in national-level domains.

1. Rolando Coto, AILDI June 2012. University of Arizona

2. How many languages
are there in the world?
A. Two thousand
B. Six thousand
C. Ten thousand

3. How many languages
are there in the world?
A. Two thousand
B. Six thousand
C. Ten thousand

4. How many languages
are there in the world?
A. Two thousand
B. Six thousand
C. Ten thousand
Actually, there are
about 6309 languages
(SIL, 2009)

6. Fuente: Harrison (2007:14)
See final slide for copyright disclaimer

7. Fuente: Harrison (2007:12)
See final slide for copyright disclaimer

8. Fuente: Harrison (2007:12)
See final slide for copyright disclaimer

9. Fuente: Harrison (2007:13)
See final slide for copyright disclaimer

10. There are many
languages, and yet
not all of them are
used for the same
things

11. There are many
languages, and yet
not all of them are
used for the same
things

12. What does it mean
for a language to be
used?

13. What does it mean
for a language to be
used?

14. Is it used…
- In cultural ceremonies?
- At home, when children speak with their parents?
- In town, when people converse and do business?
- To write letters and personal messages?
- To write newspapers and publish media?
- As a vehicle of new knowledge and culture?
- As a means of entertainment? (Jokes, shows, movies)
- To communicate with the regional or national government?
- For communication that uses new technologies (Internet)?

15. Why are languages lost?
Forced
change
Voluntary Loss of
change population
Language
Loss
Source: Nettle & Romaine (2000)

16. Why are languages lost?
Forced
change
Voluntary Loss of
- Discriminatory
change population
laws
- Scholarization
Language
aimed at reducing Loss
the use of the
minority language
- Explicit prohibitions
Source: Nettle & Romaine (2000)

18. Speakers of Occitan:
1860 39% of France
1920 26%~36%
1993 7%
Source: Ministère de la Culture et de la
Communication (2007) >>

19. Why are languages lost?
- Change attitudes
Forced
change towards the
language
Voluntary Loss of
- Parents think it’s
change population
better not to teach
the language
Language
Loss
Source: Nettle & Romaine (2000)

23. Is it used…
- In cultural ceremonies?
- At home, when children speak with their parents?
- In town, when people converse and do business?
- To write letters and personal messages?
The result is that,
- To write newspapers and publish media?
one by one, these
- As a vehicle of new knowledge and culture?
usage contexts are
- As a means of entertainment? (Jokes, shows, movies)
lost….
- To communicate with the regional or national government?
- For communication that uses new technologies (Internet)?

24. Michael Krauss’ Scale to measure the degree
of endngered of a language (1998):
Class A: All generations speak the
language, even small children
Class B: The language is
spoken only by parents
and grandparents
Class C: The language
is spoken only by the
grandparents
Class D: The
language is used
only by a few
elders (70+ years)

25. What is lost when a
language loses all its
speakers?

26. Knowledge about
our planet

27. Traditional Ecological
Knowledge

28. Source: Harrison (2007:30)
See final slide for copyright disclaimer

29. Alternative ways for
the human brain to
express information

30. John eats bread
Subject Verb Object
In English, the order of most sentences is:
(i) Subject first
(ii) Then a verb
(iii) Finally, the object
Therefore, the most common order in
English is “Subject Verb Object”. Other
languages, however, how different word
orders.
Some word orders, like “Object Verb
Source: WALS Database, Max
Subject” and “Object Subject Verb” are
Plank Institute >>
very exotic.

31. Source: WALS Database, Max Plank Institute >>

32. Source: WALS Database, Max Plank Institute >>

33. The world has many verb-initial or subject-initial languages,
but very few object-initial languages.

34. Before these languages were studied, linguists believed that
object-first languages were impossible for humans to speak.

35. Cultural diversity

36. Cultural diversity

37. Sovereignty and
knowledge of one’s
own history

39. The Indian people used a kind of characters or
letters to write their ancient science and
knowledge in their books. With these figures
and signals, they understood their things and
taught them to each other. We found a great
number of books with theses letters and,
since they didn't contain anything in them
that wasn't superstition or falsehoods from
the devil, we burned them all. They felt great
sorrow for this.
Diego de Landa; A Relation of the Things in Yucatán

40. Video: Cracking the Maya Code (Minute 49) >>

41. Have languages ever
been revitalized?
¡Sí!

42. Have languages ever
been revitalized?
Yes!

44. Hebrew

45. Hebrew

46. Hebrew

48. Maori

49. Maori

50. Maori

51. Maori

52. Maori Amthem 1, Anthem 2

54. Hawaiian

55. Hawaiian

56. Hawaiian

57. Hawaiian

59. Wampanoag

60. Wampanoag

61. Wampanoag

62. Source for the 3rd illustration:
Wampanoag Makepeace Productions 2010 >>
See final slide for full copyright disclaimer

63. Video 1, Video 2
Wampanoag Fuente:Makepeace Productions 2010 >>
See final slide for full copyright disclaimer
Source:MacArthur Foundation
See final slide for full copyright disclaimer

64. Video 1, Video 2
Wampanoag Source:Makepeace Productions 2010 >>
See final slide for full copyright disclaimer

65. Stages of Reversing Language Shift:
Attaining diglossia (Fishman 1991:395)
8. Document and reconstruct the language and
create materials for the adult acquisition.

66. Stages of Reversing Language Shift:
Attaining diglossia (Fishman 1991:395)
8. Document and reconstruct the language and
create materials for the adult acquisition.
7. Cultural interaction in the language, primarily
involving the older generation

67. Stages of Reversing Language Shift:
Attaining diglossia (Fishman 1991:395)
8. Document and reconstruct the language and
create materials for the adult acquisition.
7. Cultural interaction in the language, primarily
involving the older generation
6. Communication in the intergenerational and
demographically concentrated home-family-
neighborhood; the basis of mother-tongue
transmission.

68. Stages of Reversing Language Shift:
Attaining diglossia (Fishman 1991:395)
8. Document and reconstruct the language and
create materials for the adult acquisition.
7. Cultural interaction in the language, primarily
involving the older generation
6. Communication in the intergenerational and
demographically concentrated home-family-
neighborhood; the basis of mother-tongue
transmission.
5. Schools for literacy acquisition, for the old and for
the young, and not in lieu with compulsory
education.

69. Stages of Reversing Language Shift:
Trascending diglossia (Fishman 1991:395)
4. Usage in schools in lieu with compulsory
education and substancially under curricular and
staffing control of the Native group.

70. Stages of Reversing Language Shift:
Trascending diglossia (Fishman 1991:395)
4. Usage in schools in lieu with compulsory
education and substancially under curricular and
staffing control of the Native group.
3. Usage in local/regional (non-neighborhood) work
sphere, both among people in the community and
people outside the community.

71. Stages of Reversing Language Shift:
Trascending diglossia (Fishman 1991:395)
4. Usage in schools in lieu with compulsory
education and substancially under curricular and
staffing control of the Native group.
3. Usage in local/regional (non-neighborhood) work
sphere, both among people in the community and
people outside the community.
2. Usage in local/regional media and government
services.

72. Stages of Reversing Language Shift:
Trascending diglossia (Fishman 1991:395)
4. Usage in schools in lieu with compulsory
education and substancially under curricular and
staffing control of the Native group.
3. Usage in local/regional (non-neighborhood) work
sphere, both among people in the community and
people outside the community.
2. Usage in local/regional media and government
services.
1. Usage in education, work sphere, media and
government at regional/national levels.

73. Read More:
UNESCO’s Language Vitality and Endangerment
(1) http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/endangered-
languages/language-vitality/
(2) http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/doc/src/00120-EN.pdf
(Free)
Fishman, Joshua. 1991. Reversing language shift : theoretical and
empirical foundations of assistance to threatened languages
Full text (through the UofA library)
Full text (EBSCOHost)

74. Créditos de fotografías:
Hand Writing at 4 am (June Hong, CC 2.0 BY-NC-SA). People speaking different languages
(Ericka Chaves, todos los derechos reservados). Map of the main languages of the world
(bab.la, todos los derechos reservados). Pirámides de idiomas más hablados, mapas de
continentes según lenguas y ciclos de vida del reno todzhu (David Harrison, 2007. All rights
reserved. This use is thought of as being “fair use” in that: (i) The examples will be used for
educational purposes, (ii) the illustrations are considerably less than 10% or one chapter of
the book, and (iii) it does not affect the capability of the author to exploit his original work).
Lenguajes de la internet (Internet World Stats, todos los derechos reservados). Dance Bot
(Jenn and Tony Bot, CC 2.0 BY-NC). Dancing in the Dark (Mario Inoportuno, CC 2.0 BY-NC-
ND). Libros de biología (Fergus Ray Murray, CC 2.0 BY-NC-SA). Tintin and friends greet
Armstrong (Daniel Bowen, CC 2.0 BY-NC-SA). Billete de Guatemala (dominio público). Speak
French (dominio público). Mapa del occitano (Norrin Strange, CC 3.0 BY-SA). Chiricahua
Apaches (dominio público). Uncle Sam’s New Class (dominio público). Corn Diversity (Global
Crop Diversity Trust, CC 2.0 BY-NC-SA). Thank you in languages (Gee Ranasinha, CC 2.0 BY-
NC-ND). SVO Maps (WALS & Max Plank Digital Library, CC 2.0 BY-NC-ND). Kekionga
Storytelling (rsteup, CC 2.0 BY-NC-ND). Maori Wood Carving (Sids1, CC 2.0 BY). Danza piede
(eart threepointzero, CC 2.0 BY-NC-SA). Mayan Codex (Pietro Izzo, CC 2.0 BY-NC-SA).
Hebrew Sacred Text (TikkunGer, CC 2.0 BY-NC-ND). Street Sign in Hebrew (FishHeadNed, CC
2.0 BY-NC-SA). Coca Cola in Hebrew (iainsimmons, CC 2.0 BY-NC-SA). Te Kura Kaupapa
Maori O Nga Mokopuna (Tom Law, CC 2.0 BY). Maori lesson (unincorporated, CC 2.0 BY-ND).
Sitio de la Biblioteca Nacional de Nueva Zelanda y de la Universidad de Auckland (todos los
derechos reservados a sus respectivos dueños).

75. Créditos de fotografías:
All Blacks at the Tri-Nation 2010 (Prime Channel, All Rights Reserved. This use is thought of
as being “fair use” in that: (i) The examples will be used for educational purposes, and (ii) it
does not affect the capability of the author to exploit his original work). Tropas
estadounidenses del USS Boston en Hawai’i (dominio público). Ka Lama Hawaii (dominio
público). Isla Aquinnah, Massachussetts (dominio público), Squanto demostrando cómo
cosechar maíz (dominio público). Biblia de John Eliot 1663 (dominio público). Escritos en
Wampanoag, Mujer enseñando Wampanoag (Anne Makepeace, All Rights Reserved. This
use is thought of as being “fair use” in that: (i) The examples will be used for educational
purposes, (ii) the illustrations are considerably less than 10% or one chapter of the book,
and (iii) it does not affect the capability of the author to exploit her original work).
Diccionario Wampanoag (MacArthur Foundation, All Rights Reserved. This use is thought of
as being “fair use” in that the example will be used for educational purposes). Estuario
Onkaparinga (Magnus Manske, CC 3.0 BY-SA). Biblia y fotografías de Clamor Schürmann y
Christian Teichelmann (Adelaide City Council Reconciliation Website, All Rights Reserved.
This use is thought of as being “fair use” in that the examples will be used for non-profit
educational purposes). Sitio Kaura Warra Pintyandi (Universidad de Adelaide, All Rights
Reserved. This use is thought of as being “fair use” in that the examples will be used for
non-profit educational purposes). Portada del libro "Sounds Good to Me!" (Rob Amery y el
Kaura Warra Pintyandi de la Universidad de Adelaide, All rights reserved. This use is thought
of as being “fair use” in that: (i) The examples will be used for non-profit educational
purposes, (ii) the illustrations are considerably less than 10% or one chapter of the book,
and (iii) it does not affect the capability of the author to exploit his original work).