Ethnologue

Here is a map of the world from the site http://www.ethnologue.com/ which locates the different types of living languages in the world throughout the world. There are almost 7,000 living languages in total.




Using this map i will be answering the following questions:

-1. What, in your opinion, would explain the areas and countries on each map with the greatest concentration of living languages?

-2. Identify those areas and countries which you think are at the greatest risk of the "death or disappearance of languages".

-3. Link your answer for question 2 to the reasons listed above for the decline in human languages: which of these factors would best explain the endangering of languages in different regions of the world and why?




-1. In my opinion there are many reasons for which different areas and different on the world map have different concentrations of living languages or modern languages. If it would show all the languages and say for instance everywhere where french is spoken as a language there would be a lot more concentrated areas around the world. One of my opinions for which there are different concentrations of languages around the world is because of tribes which have kept with their culture and so keep their language going for more then 1000 years. For instance, Africa, as you can see from the world map, has lots of different languages from all the different tribes it contains. Another opinion I have is that every country wants its own authenticity and therefore creates a language of its own for its country, of course in many countries there are more then just one language spoken. My final opinion is that of colonization. Many countries on this map where colonized by Europeans and they tried to make it so that the locals spoke their language to form a means of communication between themselves.

-2. I think that the countries in greatest risk of losing languages are those MEDCs which may have some small languages around them spoken in small concentrations because as a MEDC in order to find business you need to understand the main language spoken if not you may find it hard to find a job and pay which is needed to survive in MEDCs. I also think that LEDCs that are transforming in to MEDCs are at risk of losing a lot of languages and just sticking to the main spoken languages in MEDC world, therefore they will lose all those tribal and aboriginese languages thay have held onto for such a long time.

-3. I believe that the greatest factor for the decrease in languages around the world is the increase in technology and the ages and the LEDCs trying to force their way into the big technological world as languages such as English are very much needed around the world for communication and therefore you may lose your language by trying to lear say English.