Papua New Guinea is an island nation north of Australia with a population of more than 9, 100. 000 people. It is recognized for its cultural diversity, as most of its population lives in traditional indigenous (土著的)communities.A result of this is that there are more than 850 active languages in the country today．

The earliest family of languages in the country, the Papua family appeared roughly 40, 000 years ago. The key to this language diversity is the isolationist (孤立主义的) tendencies of the tribes (部落) within Papua New Guinea. Tribes never made contact with one another, so each different language faced little risk of mixing with other languages or being replaced.

This changed with the arrival of Europeans in the 19th century. They introduced the people of apua New Guinea to English and other European languages. The combination of English and native languages has resulted in a form of language called Tok Pisin, which is the most common language in the country. Speaking Tok Pisin and English can help a young Papua New Guinean find more opportunities outside of their villages.

However, the disadvantage is that with more people speaking Tok Pisin or English, many of the indigenous languages are in danger. A study of indigenous languages in Papua New Guinea found that only 58% of students could speak an indigenous language. Meanwhile, 91% of their parents were fluent in their native tongues. If this pace continues, many of these languages are at risk. Some of Papua New Guinea’s languages are already in vulnerable places with fewer than 100 known speakers.

Each language represents a piece of culture that could not be replaced if every speaker dies out. To help keep these languages alive, linguists (语言学家) have worked with indigenous Papua New Guineans to create dictionaries and grammatical guides. Technology is used to record the language, meaning that even if the last known speaker of a language dies, evidence of the tongue still exists. While this can help keep a language from dying, teaching indigenous languages in local schools can truly keep the languages alive.

Dictionaries are not closed books. There is still plenty of room for more words in these great vocabulary authorities.

Dictionaries are not closed books. There is still plenty of room for more words in these great vocabulary authorities. New words are continually being created and added to our language. And many of today's word experts can credit a famous mathematician with the creation of the method by which they develop many new words. The mathematician was an Englishman named Charles L. Dodgson. In addition to working with figures, Dodgson wrote books. His imaginative stories and poems have made Dodgson beloved to generations of readers. We know him, however, not by the name of Dodgson but by his pen name, Lewis Carroll.

Lewis Carroll has delighted countless readers, young and old, with Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass, and numerous poems. In these works, Carroll developed dozens of nonsensical words such as "chortle" and "galumph". Many of these words are combined naturally with more common words in the English language. Carroll referred to his made-up words as "portmanteau" words, named after a kind of leather suitcase that opens into two compartments. The name was well suited, because most of Carroll's words had two compartments. Rather than being entirely fabricated（虚构）, they were usually made from the combined parts of two different words. A "snark", for example, clearly came from a snake and a shark.

Although Carroll died long ago, his technique continues to be used today. We clearly see his influence in such words as smog, brunch, and guesstimate.

Language is part of our daily lives, no matter where we live in the world. It is the same with music, whether you listen to it on the radio on your drive to work or sit before an orchestra. Both language and music play a huge role in our culture. 【小题1】

Both language and music have a writing system. In English we record language using the alphabet, which is a collection of letters. In the same way, we use notes to keep a record of music. Just as you are reading this collection of letters on the screen and find meaning in it, musicians read notes and create meaning in the form of music which we can hear.【小题2】 By writing pieces of text or music, we are able to share experiences through time. I can read the ideas or hear the composition of someone who lived hundreds of year ago, which is really quite exciting.

【小题3】 You can make a good guess at where someone is from by listening to the language they use. In the same way, we know that styles of music are different around the world, giving us the opportunity to explore many different cultures through their music and providing us with music for every situation.【小题4】 Even if you don’t like Britpop melodies, you may love the energy of Latin American salsa music.

Both share emotion. How do you know that I am angry? Of course you may be able to see it in my face, but you will know for sure through my words.【小题5】 Music can show you exactly how the composer was or is feeling, and allows us to share in that emotion. When you feel happy, you might want to sing and dance to a happy song to celebrate your happiness. In contrast, you have probably also listened to sad music when you were feeling down. I think we have all used music to express or process our emotions, often combining it with language in the form of song lyrics.