I met the last speaker of Naati on an empty stretch of beach on Malekula, an island in the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu. I told the man, Ariep, that I was in the country to study one of its native languages. When he learned I was a linguist, he excitedly shared that he speaks Naati.
Ariep explained the relationship between Naati and the other languages of the area. With a mix of pride and sorrow, he revealed that he is the last fluent speaker of Naati. Although a few of his family members have some knowledge of the language and make an effort to use it together, he fears that with his death, Naati will soon disappear. Naati’s situation is not unique. Of the about 7000 languages spoken on the planet today, 50% to 90% are considered vulnerable to extinction by the end of the century.
Languages are an invaluable source of culture. Understanding different languages is vital to understanding human cognition. A world with diverse languages benefits us all. Each language isa piece of the puzzle that we need in order to determine how language works in the mind. With each missing piece, we are further from seeing the full picture.
There are enough commonalities among language systems. In terms of sentence structure, all languages use the three basic elements: subject, object, and verb. Although these can be ordered in different ways, about 80% of known languages put the subject first, while only about 1% put the object first. Analyzing these patterns has real impacts for our lives. The more we understand about how language functions, the better equipped we are to improve our therapies for communication disorders and our methods for language teaching.
However, taking into account all languages is a huge challenge. Many languages are in danger of disappearing before they have been documented, taking with them irreplaceable information about human culture. For the sake of the speakers of endangered languages, for the sake of us all, we must preserve the world’s languages as we search for answers and work to ensure language diversity for generations to come.
【小题1】What do we know about Ariep?| A．He looks forward to leaving Malekula. |
| B．He speaks many foreign languages fluently. |
| C．He is worried about the disappearance of Naati. |
| D．He is devoted to studying endangered languages. |
| A．Ways to break down language barriers. |
| B．The significance of language diversity. |
| C．Reasons for the extinction of languages. |
| D．The impact of human cognition on languages. |
| A．To show the difficulty of learning grammar. |
| B．To present the functions of language systems. |
| C．To analyze the methods of language teaching. |
| D．To prove the connection among different languages. |
| A．How Do Native Languages Develop? |
| B．Why Are Languages Worth Preserving? |
| C．How Can We Protect Endangered Languages? |
| D．What Makes Naati Unique in Human Language? |
