Australia leads in extinct languages

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Australia leads in extinct languages

July 13, 2006
http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story/0,20281,19774059-5001028,00.html

AUSTRALIA has more extinct languages than any other country in the
world, a new report has found.

The Worldwatch Institute's latest Vital Signs publication focuses on the
threat posed to the globe's languages, particularly those spoken by
indigenous populations.
So far, Australia has lost 188 languages, and Worldwatch warns that
within decades the demise of Aboriginal languages will rapidly
escalate.

"It is estimated that 90 per cent of the languages spoken by Australia's
Aboriginal peoples will perish within the current generation," it said.

Worldwatch, which canvasses trends in everything from oil consumption to
population growth, said Australia led the world in terms of lost
languages.

The 188 gone from Australia compares to 70 in the United States and
about 30 in Brazil.

Globally over the past 10,000 years, the number of spoken languages has
shrunk from more than 12,000 to just under 7000.

Mandarin Chinese is the world's most spoken language, with almost one
billion people using it as their first language.

Spanish and English are spoken as a first language by more than 300
million each, although English is by far the most common second
language.

Worldwatch said the number of English speakers in China is growing at
around 20 million people a year.

Worldwatch found the death of languages is often due to bans on
religious grounds, infectious diseases, wars and cultural assimilation.

In other cases, economics can drive a language out of use.

"When a community finds that its ability to survive and advance
economically is improved by the use of another language, for example,
people there stop using their native tongue or teaching it to their
children," it found.

AAP

This report was published at dailytelegraph.news.com.au