700 Reasons: Reason #313
- Reason: 313
- Arguments which support the need for biological diversity also apply to language... The whole concept of the ecosystem is based on the insight that living entities exist through a network of interrelationships. Diversity has a central place in evolutionary thought... In the language of ecology, the strongest ecosystems are those which are the most diverse... The point has often been made that our success in colonizing the planet has been due to our ability to develop diverse cultures which suit all kinds of environments. The need to maintain linguistic diversity stands squarely on the shoulders of such arguments. If diversity is a prerequisite for successful humanity, then the preservation of linguistic diversity is essential, for language lies at the heart of what it means to be human. If the development of multiple cultures is so important, then the role of languages becomes critical, for cultures are chiefly transmitted through spoken and written languages. Accordingly, when language transmission breaks down, through language death, there is a serious loss of inherited knowledge
- Reference:
- Crystal, D. (2000) Language Death (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press)
- Related Keywords:
- Culture, Diversity, Knowledge, Less Widely Used and Lesser Taught (LWULT) Languages, Networking, Sustainability, Values
700 Reasons to study languages...
