Forgotten Tongues: Assimilation of Language Endangerment and Revitalization

Language endangerment refers to the concept and process of when a language faces a critical decline in usage, speakers, and intergenerational transmission, according to Bureau Works. As Salikoko S. Mufwene, professor of linguistics at the University of Chicago, has stated, about 80% of the world’s thousands of languages will go extinct within the next century. Not only do the loss of languages lead to the loss of its cultures and traditions, but it also leads to certain effects that are unrelated to linguistical concepts, such as economic deprivation, aid dependency, and the unwillingness of the transmission of languages, according to Christopher Moseley, editor of “Encyclopedia of the World’s Endangered Languages.” Though there are many studies and papers regarding the loss of languages, there have not been as many papers concerning the revitalization of languages through a variety of mediums. The goal of this paper is to address the history, background, and the “why” of language endangerment, as well as introducing how we can implement language revitalization to endangered languages.