Endangered Languages in Europe and Their Importance

Jordan Atkins Robertson AP English Language and Composition 9 October 2011

Atkins 1 Jordan Atkins Robertson AP English Language and Composition 9 October 2011 Endangered Languages in Europe and Their Importance Several European languages face potential extinction today. The numbers of their speakers range from over one million, as seen with the Chuvash language of Russia, to the Ter Sami language, also of Russia, which was shown in 2009 to have exactly two speakers alive today (Ethnologue). These rare speakers are diminishing in numbers as time wears on; these people, the languages, and therefore the knowledge they contain will imminently disappear. Because language is vital to the understanding of culture, other languages, and the human brain, these endangered specimens must be recorded to preserve the wealth of knowledge that they can provide. Language as a source of knowledge on a culture is almost necessary for an indepth comprehension of any given society. For example, the Aragonese language of Spain has between ten and thirty thousand speakers today (UNESCOs Red Book of Endangered Languages). Those fluent in Aragonese are part of a history that many recognize, that of the Reconquista and the Moorish occupation of Spain. What many are not aware of is that Aragonese and modern Spanish bear a striking resemblance, to the point that a high school student of the Spanish language is capable of reading Aragonese text. This resemblance was born of a difference in the social class of those

Atkins 2 who spoke the two languages. The union of Aragon and Castile (two regions of Spain) by the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella in the sixteenth century caused Aragonese and Spanish (then referred to as castellano, or Castilian) to be spoken in the same geographic region. While Castilian was spoken by merchants and royalty, Aragonese was spoken in the rural areas by farmers. Castilian eventually overtook Aragonese as the dominant language of the region (Wikipedia). Each endangered language in Europe and around the world represents a piece of a large puzzle of language families. The languages can be linked to descendent and sibling languages, ergo linking sibling cultures. Take, for example, the Istro-Romanian language of Croatia, which has about one thousand speakers (UNESCO Red Book of Endangered Languages). This is a sibling language of the more widely spoken Romanian language. The number of speakers of Istro-Romanian has fluctuated throughout history mainly due to policies put into place by the various rulers of Istria (where the language is spoken) (Wikipedia). While it is indeed sad that languages are disappearing globally, if they are being replaced for practical reasons, then so be it. The preservation of languages is by far less of a chore than a full revival, and the replacement of languages truly is practical. Superseding the cultural aspect of languages, their actual purpose is communication. The concept of language itself is incredibly important not only in cultural studies, but in the understanding of the human mind. The brain of Homo sapiens has evolved a unique section devoted entirely to language, and there are even disorders that solely

Atkins 3 affect the minds lingual capacity. Linguistics has been an area of study since the 1860s, when a branch of lingual disorders known as aphasias were discovered by Paul Broca (Geschwind, 1973). These disorders are not found in isolated cases; in fact, aphasias are, unfortunately, very common disorders, and occur very frequently (Geschwind). Literally millions of people suffer from a variant of these aphasias, which affect the lower posterior region of the left frontal lobe (entitled Brocas area, accrediting him for his discovery) of the brain. In summation, language is an invaluable tool one can wield to access rich knowledge of any given culture. At times, this knowledge goes hand in hand with the study of other languages in relation to the endangered language being studied. It is also an interesting field in the study of human psychology, a field opened by a single yet pivotal discovery in the 1860s.

Atkins 4 Works Cited

- Geschwind, Norman, MD. Communication, Language, and Meaning: Psychological

Perspectives. 1st ed. New York City: Basic Books, Inc., 1973. 63-65. Print. - "Istro-Romanian Language." Web. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IstroRomanian_language>. - "Aragonese Language." Web. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aragonese_language>. - Lewis, M. Paul (ed.), 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Sixteenth edition. Dallas, Tex.: SIL International.