Colombia: Saving dying languages (fwd link)

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Colombia: Saving dying languages
Nearly half of Colombia's 68 indigenous languages are in danger of
disappearing altogether.

John OtisMay 15, 2011 08:33

BOGOTA, Colombia — Eudosio Becerra says it’s nearly impossible for him
to converse in his native tongue.

Only about 50 people still speak Uitoto, out of the 600 members of the
indigenous Uitoto tribe in the southern Colombian jungle. The rest
communicate in Spanish which they view as more modern and useful.

Uitoto is one of 68 indigenous languages spoken in Colombia, but only
three are spoken by more than 50,000 people. In fact, about 30 are in
danger of disappearing altogether, said Daniel Aguirre, who heads the
Center for the Study of Aboriginal Languages at the University of the
Andes in Bogota.

Access full article below:
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/colombia/110505/indigenous-languages-dying