10 Languages on the Verge of Extinction (fwd link)

[Phillip E Cash Cash]

Linguistic Anthropology
10 Languages on the Verge of Extinction

by Martha Barksdale

Of the more than 6,700 languages spoken in the world today, half are
at risk of disappearing by the end of this century [source: UNESCO].
Every two weeks, the last living speaker of a language dies, taking
the language with him [source: Living Tongues]. A small and declining
number of speakers, as well as speakers who are older, point to an
endangered language: When those speakers die, they leave no one to use
the language. Linguists then consider this language dead, although if
the tongue has been recorded, they may call it a "sleeping" language
-- one that could be revived later.

Access full article below:
http://curiosity.discovery.com/topic/linguistic-anthropology/10-languages-on-verge-extinction.htm

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Note: Though a bit of old news (Nov 2011, I believe), it is still a good read.
Phil