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  1. The AtlanticLane Wallace11/10/098 min
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    The Atlantic
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    • Jessica2 years ago

      I scratched my reading itch about language, prompted by this article on the world’s disappearing languages.

      Language, he believes, is not inherently linked to culture. And that as a matter of practicality in an increasingly global world, the use and existence of fewer languages is not only less work, in terms of learning and maintenance, but actually an advantage.

      I disagree with McWhorter on this. The slight nuances in how language is spoken are one of many indicators of cultural variation and flux. McWhorter’s view of fewer languages as an advantage feels so utilitarian and doesn’t acknowledge the complexity that exists in what it basically means to be a human. Pamela Serena Cote’s words following this section reinforced my thoughts.

      But in cases where the language wanes not because of physical extinction, but because of cultural subsumption, the loss of a language is a far more personal tragedy ... at least to those within that culture. For someone inside a lost or dying culture, a language can be like the memories of our grandparents--not required, or even convenient, for efficiency of operation in a modern, globalized world, but essential for our sense of roots, security, identity, pride, continuity and wholeness.