Half of world's language diversity at risk, frightening trends in some regions: Study

A study on 2,400 languages revealed that half of global language diversity, which refers to the variety of languages that exist in the world, as well as the different dialects, accents, and ways of speaking within each language, is at risk.

There are currently over 7,000 languages spoken in the world, with some languages having millions of speakers while others have only a few hundred.

Language diversity is important because it allows for cultural expression and communication among different communities. Each language carries its own unique history, traditions, and way of thinking. By preserving and celebrating language diversity, we can ensure that these cultural nuances are not lost.

However, language diversity is threatened. In a new paper published in Science Advances, the authors of the study, Hedvig Skirgård, a Postdoctoral researcher at Australian National University and Simon Greenhill, an Associate Professor at the University of Auckland launched an extensive database of language grammars called Grambank.

With the help of this resource, the authors say they can respond to a variety of linguistic research queries and determine how much grammatical diversity we may lose if the problem is not resolved.

The research claims to show frightening trends. It suggests that we are losing languages and language diversity, and unless we take action, the shared past may disappear. The research team sought to comprehend what grammatical diversity would be lost in addition to the loss of specific languages.

The astonishing diversity of languages shown by the Grambank database is evidence of the human ability for change and variety. The researchers evaluated the type of loss we may anticipate if languages that are now threatened with extinction were to vanish. Using an ecological measure of diversity, it was found out that some areas would be struck more severely than others.

It is horrifying to think that some parts of the world, like South America and Australia, would eventually lose all of their native linguistic diversity due to the threat facing all of their indigenous languages, as per the study.

Even other areas with more secure linguistic environments, such as the Pacific, South-East Asia, and Europe, nonetheless exhibit a sharp decline of roughly 25%.

Many people will suffer, and our common linguistic window onto human history, cognition, and culture will gravely fracture without consistent support for language revitalization.

2022–2032 has been designated as the Decade of Indigenous Languages by the United Nations. Grassroots organisation all across the world, such as the Ngukurr Language Centre, Noongar Boodjar Language Centre, and the Canadian Heiltsuk Cultural Education Centre, are fighting to preserve and revitalise their own languages.