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" The research facility also provides other cases, in which languages have declined less rapidly, by referring to "Iroquoian languages like Onondaga and Mohawk, spoken in upstate New York and adjacent parts of Canada," and stating that these "have been declining for over two centuries; yet they are still spoken today by older adults and, in the case of Mohawk, some younger people as well."
However, the organization warns that this may not necessarily be the case in the next decades, as more and more youth is integrated into American society in this case, and is thereby losing this key part of its identity as a native peoples.
Despite the negatives provided above and the sad truths, there are some efforts to learn and preserve current languages. One of these efforts is the writing of this paper, which aims to show the problem and potential causes and effects. The LSA also advises that a community that wants to preserve its languages has options in looking at examples of revived mother tongues, such as the "dramatic story" of Modern Hebrew, which "was revived as a mother tongue after centuries of being learned and studied only it its ancient written form."
Another example of retained language due to community efforts relates to Irish, which has remained spoken throughout Ireland despite the popularity of English.
Furthermore, in addition to these locally grown efforts there are
Conferences around the world that can help raise awareness of the issue of preserving extinct languages, and may people can get involved in this effort in a volunteer capacity. Clear steps in order to help prevent a language facing extinction are given by the Endangered Languages project as well, which states that there a number of things an individual can do in order to help and these include:
1. Researching "an indigenous language," and studying the "unique aspects of its grammar and use."
2. Watching a form of entertainment or listening to music in a particular native language.
3. Participating in programs such as language revitalization and taking courses in an academic institution.
4. Promoting awareness and taking political action.
According to the points made above, there is always something one can do to help, and one does not need to despair. Yet a vital question remains and unfortunately it relates to the fact as to how many people will actually take these steps and engage with the problem.
This paper has been an analysis of the process of language extinction. In this regard, it has provided five points: a description of an extinct language, one of regions in danger of language extinction, an analysis of the process of extinction, and advice both on what to do to prevent extinction and how people can help firsthand. In providing these various facets, the paper has attempted to show that although many languages are on the border of extinction, this does not have to be so, as many can help prevent such a tragedy, namely erasing a vital cultural component from a said culture, from happening.
References taken from: "Extinct/Dead Languages - SciForums.com." SciForums.com - Science Forums. Web. 27 Nov. 2011.