Yes, the local languages are in trouble (fwd link)

[Phillip E Cash Cash]

*Yes, the local languages are in trouble*

WEDNESDAY, 02 JANUARY 2013 00:00 BY GREG C. UGBAJA
FEATURES - YOUTH SPEAK
Nigeria

ACCORDING to Crystal Davies, a language conservationist “Languages often
hold the only record of a people’s history, including their songs, stories,
and ancient traditions. In particular, many indigenous cultures contain a
wealth of information about the local environment and its floral and faunal
resources, based upon thousands of years of close interaction, experience,
and problem-solving.

With the extinction of a language, therefore, mankind also loses access to
local understanding of plants, animals, and ecosystems, some of which have
important medicinal value, and many of which remain undocumented by
science. Thus, the survival of threatened languages, and the indigenous
knowledge contained within, is an important aspect of maintaining
biological diversity.”

As a teacher in a school, in Lagos Nigeria, I once asked my class if anyone
could name the various ethnic groups that make up Nigeria. James Green
stood up before anyone could beat him to it. And with a sense of pride, he
reeled out “Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba”. He was greeted with cheers from his
mates.  And with a sense of fulfillment, he sat.

Access full article below:
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=109255:yes-the-local-languages-are-in-trouble&catid=203:youth-speak&Itemid=730
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