An estimated 7,000 languages are spoken around the world today. In 14 days, there will be an estimated 6,999. One language goes extinct about every two weeks, which is a faster rate of exinction those for plants, birds, fish, and mammals. New research reported at the New York Times found the five regions where languages are disappearing most rapidly: northern Australia, central South America, North America's upper Pacific coastal zone, eastern Siberia, and Oklahoma and the southwestern United States.
Researchers are currently traveling the world and making recordings of dying languages. As they write the eulogies for language, I am reminded of a passage from Freeman Dyson's Disturbing the Universe:
Diversity on the social level means preserving a multiplicity of languagues and cultures and allowing for the growth of new ones, in the face of the homogenizing influences of modern communications and mass media...So long as manking remains confined to this planet, the ethic of human brotherhood must prevail over our desire for diversity. Cultural diversity will inexorably diminish, and biological diversity will be too dangerous to be tolerated.
Which leads Dr. Dyson to optimistically conclude:
In the long run, the only solution that I see to the problem of diversity is the expansion of mankind into the universe by means of green technology.
Aside from potentially diverse languages, some newly colonized planets might also have abundant supplies of tilapia.
Humanities & Social Science
Comments
It's been my experience that those sorts of conclusions often result from cultural assumptions. Digging up our cultured assumptions often reveals overlooked alternatives.
When folks declare there's exactly one solution they see, I find myself wondering if there's exactly one solution they want to see.
Exploring space would be great fun. Suggesting we use green technology is a nice touch. But I suspect we can see more options in the solution set if we look at it from other perspectives.
Cheers
Posted by: etbnc | September 19, 2007 5:50 AM