1 . Every 40 days a language dies. This “catastrophic” loss is being intensified by the climate crisis, according to linguists. If nothing is done, conservative estimates suggest that half of all the 7,000 languages currently spoken will be extinct by the end of the century.
Speakers of minority languages have experienced a long history of persecution (迫害), with the result that by the 1920s half of all indigenous (土著的) languages in Australia, the US, South Africa and Argentina were extinct. The climate crisis is now considered the “final nail in the coffin” for many indigenous languages and the knowledge they represent.
“Languages are already endangered,” says Anastasia Rachel, director of the Strathy language unit at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. Huge factors are globalization and migration, as communities move to regions where their language is not spoken or valued, according to Rachel. “It seems particularly cruel,” she says, “that most of the world’s languages are in parts of the world that are growing unpleasant to people.” Vanuatu, a South Pacific island nation measuring 12, 189 km2, has 110 languages, the highest density of languages on the planet. It is also one of the countries most at risk of sea level rise. “Marty small language communities are on islands and coastlines easily subject to hurricanes and sea level rise,” she says. Others live on lands where rising temperature threatens traditional farming and fishing practices, leading to migration.
In response to the crisis, the UN launched the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL) in 2022. Promoting and conserving languages of indigenous communities is “not only important for them, but for all humanity”, said Csaba Korosi, the UN general assembly president, urging countries to allow access to education in indigenous languages.
1. Which statement best describes the facts of languages?| A．Climate change is the only challenge for minority languages. |
| B．Half of all the languages spoken will be extinct in the future. |
| C．Climate crisis is a huge threat to many indigenous languages. |
| D．Poor education is the direct cause of disappearing languages. |
| A．To explain the main reason for language density. |
| B．To show the common features of endangered languages. |
| C．To stress the impact of geographical position on migration. |
| D．To illustrate the situation of minority language communities. |
| A．Support migrants to access local education. |
| B．Discourage people from massive migration. |
| C．Protect the environment to reduce the temperature. |
| D．Preserve the languages of indigenous communities. |
| A．Faced with Disasters: Communities Have to Leave |
| B．Upset at Extinction: UN Urges International Cooperation |
| C．Lost for Words: Climate Crisis Brings Threat of Catastrophe |
| D．Involved in Action: Experts Seek Solutions to Climate Crisis |
