Oliver Wendell Holmes Saving Endangered Languages

Saving Endangered Languages- Saving Our Diversity
Oliver Wendell Holmes said “Language is the blood of the soul into which thoughts run and out of which they grow.” It implies all the languages in this planet play an important role in formation of diversity and cultural identity. Starting with simple grunts and moans, for a thousand years, the human species has developed a sophisticated language of gestures combined with spoken language. Today, along with many advantages that globalization has brought to us, people are faced with the extinction of thousands of languages which will lead to many issues for our further generations. Having a united world with a common language may be a good idea, but considering that other languages would no
In the essay “Lost in Translation”, David Lightfoot, the Professor and Chairman of the Linguistics Department at the University of Maryland, states that “The way you talk indentifies the group you belong to” or “Language conveys evidence of cultural phenomena” (85). In other words, the author wants to explain how language can divide culture and history from others. According to examiner website, there are 6,913 languages spoken in this world, and about 3,500 languages will be at the risk of extinction in just a lifetime away. For example, I have a friend that speaks Mien, which is a Chinese dialect of the Yao ethnic group. There are currently only two million Mien or Yao people left in this world. Fewer Mien youth are using their language because they simply do not have a use for it. America is home to 40,000 Mien people, but my Mien friend and his cousins cannot even write in his native language. Unfortunately, the first and second generations of Mien-Americans are not showing much interest in their native language and he does not even know much about his own culture. Westernization is definitely taking its toll on the Mien people, so maybe in the next decades, the Mien language will no longer exist and would be extinct here in
Our responsibility to our own languages is also mentioned by Lightfoot, "Every people have a right to their own language, to preserve it as a cultural resource, and to transmit it to their children". Today, the U.S seems to have the most possible chance to save all endangered languages from being eliminated. People who immigrate to this country also bring their cultures and life styles, and make America a multi-cultural land. Besides of studying English and a new culture in school, the public usually sponsors many events to engage people to celebrate their own heritages. Their nature languages are respected and they always welcome a chance to share with others. A language will never be in danger if people know to preserve and love it with all their