The BBC just posted a piece on all the languages one can discover in New York, but conversely all the ones that become extinct there! With a rich historical upbringing, NY was originally home to the indigenous Lenape people, then settled by the Dutch, then the English, and now is a hub to a myriad of diverse migrants!
You may be amazed as an English-speaking American, at how many cultures and languages are just under your nose in the communities in which you live! In NY, it’s as simple as choosing a destination by subway, and then listening to the predominant non-English conversations on the train, or spying the prominent translated safety signs along your way!
The reason languages die, according to anthropologists, is because of what’s called “language shift,” where a group of people consensually decide to change tongues, or simply must because of circumstantial pressure (such as being conquered).
With over 6,000 languages in existence across the globe, and half of these on the verge of evaporation, it’s our duty as a language service business to know what’s going on in the world of languages, and promote awareness by offering expertise in these languages, as well as quality standards!
Let us know what you think here at our blog!
