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A) These are all words taken from the text you are going to read. Can you predict what the

text will be about? Write a short paragraph trying to include all the words.

ancient - colonization culture - evolution - extinct globalization knowledge

language persecution - record (v) revival - UNESCO

Now read the text and compare it to your prediction.

B) Read the text again and choose the best title for the article.

Con formato de ttulo de diario

a)

Linguicide

b)

English Kills Languages

c)

Dying Languages

Texto con formato de noticia de diario

According to UNESCO there are about 6500 languages in the world today, and linguists

predictthat by the end of the century only half of them will be spoken. The rest will have

disappeared.

Subtitle 1.

A language becomes extinctwhen the last speaker of that language dies. This happens for

many reasons, but gradually adults do not teach their language to children, so only grown-

upsspeak it. As time goes by, only older people know the language and eventually there is

one last speaker. That is the case of Yaghan, a language that was spoken in Tierra del

Fuego - the southernmostinhabited land of the planet- where from 2005 there is only one

woman left who speaks it.

Subtitle 2

For some people, language lossis another facetof evolution, where the fittest language

survives. In fact, it is the most prestigiouslanguage the one that survives. Either because

of parents decision or by political persecution, a language is no longer taught to younger

generations. Colonialism in the past and technology as well as globalization today, invite

us to use only a few dominant languages.

Subtitle 3

For some other people, language loss is loss of ancientknowledge. Most dying languages

have only an oral form, which means that when no one speaks it anymore, there will be no

records of those peoples culture. Mistakenly thought, a language is not only about words

and grammar. A language is the toolby which people have interpretedlife and beliefs,

have explained science (zoology, medicine, geography, etc) and have created art.

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i) tool: device, instrument, weapon

j) interpreted: deciphered, explained,understood

k) record: copy, document, file

l) implement: achieve, carry out, resolve

m)

sponsoring: advertising, announcing, supporting

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antonyms?

4)

F) Grammar a decidir: Paragraph organization? Linkers? Tense? Which one?

G) Two paragraphs in the text present opposing views: those who think language loss is

part of evolution, and those who think languages should be saved. Which one do you

support? Are you in favour or against efforts to saving a language with very few

speakers? Explain why.

H)

Do a Google search and investigate about one of the endangered languages: where it is

spoken, how many people speak it, whether it is being documented, etc. Make a very

short oral presentation.

I) Investigate about the dying languages in your own country. How many are there? Are

there any efforts made to revive it?

Links

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/endangered-languages/

http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140606-why-we-must-save-dying-languages

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/endangered-languages/http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/endangered-languages/http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140606-why-we-must-save-dying-languageshttp://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140606-why-we-must-save-dying-languageshttp://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140606-why-we-must-save-dying-languageshttp://www.endangeredlanguages.com/http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/endangered-languages/