What is the point of trying to revive dead or dying languages?

Question

First of all, I understand that for some people, it is a sense of pride. If that is the case, it can be done in one's own time, or in a cultural group one focuses his or her own time on and money to support. But other than that, why should states get involved in something that is time consuming, expensive, and ultimately useless? It is kind of like trying to revive a dead person by turning them into a cybord, ala RoboCop. Death and birth are natural processes. Besides, language acquisition is one of the most complicated and difficult tasks a human being can embark on. Why not spend the time learning a useful language that would give someone an advantage in the international community instead of further isolating themselves?

Answer 1

Dead languages are perhaps only dead to those who speak, yet historians are required to understand the texts that they are reading. Translations cannot do them justice.

They are also useful in understanding modern language. Language is a powerful tool and we only tap into a percentage of it. Understanding fully our language (including its antecedents.) can help us to more fully utilize it.



Each language provides a slightly different view on the world that can add to our current perspective. Keeping a knowledge of past languages is useful in obtaining a different view on the world. I found this in learning a second language. Tying in to the next point, some people feel that loosing this added perspective will somehow decrease our ability to see the world differently.



Also, there is simply the fear of letting something go entirely. It is like letting an animal go extinct. We don't necessarily find it useful for right now, but we don't want it to die off either.

Answer 2

Personally, I think it might have something to do with also reviving the history from where the dead language comes from. It's also possible for some people to make money out of it. But I agree with you-it is better spending the time learning a useful language because it means more socialization between countries.

Answer 3

It is the same question that I have, some countries spend many resources reviving dead languages instead help these communities to fight against poverty.



I suppose exist two reasons:

1. These cultures may have a different knowledge and different ways to focus the life than modern cultures. Maybe we have something to learn about it.



2. All languages are part of richness of one country regarding culture. Is it useful? I do not, but many people feel in that way. We need to respect all social groups.

Answer 4

What languages did you have in mind?

Cornish? I would admire anyone with that amount of local patriotism

Irish Gaelic? I would rather the IRA (Provo, Continuity, Real, whatever) prefered to assert themselves linguistically than by trying to blow me up! (I am old enough to remember their mainland campaign of August 1939).

Latin? I do not think anyone is trying to revive it, just know enough to read, and understand it and appreciate its wonderful literature.

British English? It has been dying ever since they invented the Talkies, and no one has the strength, the patriotism or the obstinacy to work to save it. 'Tis a poor thing, but mine own. À bas les américains!

Quebecois? I think it will outlast us all. I only wish they could be as concerned to conserve French cuisine as they are to conserve their version of the French language.

Friesian? While English, well American English, conquers the world, our closest little sister hovers along the North Sea coast of Germany and Holland on the very brink of extinction. It is just not fair!

Timor Portuguese? Barely clinging to life, after the invading Indonesias shot anyone using it, it survived only among the guerrillas in the jungle, and now they have come out into freedom and victory, they have a whole nation to persuade to revive it. By why not? Failure would mean that the unspeakable Indonesians had won after all.

Answer 5

I agree. I'm all for recording languages, as each language is unique and has little nuances that other languages just don't have, but putting endless amounts of money into a language which is gradually being reduced through a natural process is a terrible idea.

Answer 6

Sometime we want to show our power and we play: " Jesus and Lazarus "