National Geographic Society

PARIS (AFP) - The world has lost Manx in the Isle of Man, Ubykh in Turkey and last year Alaska's last native speaker of Eyak, Marie Smith Jones, died, taking the aboriginal language with her.
Of the 6,900 languages spoken in the world, some 2,500 are endangered, the UN's cultural agency UNESCO said Thursday as it released its latest atlas of world languages.
That represents a multi-fold increase from the last atlas compiled in 2001 which listed 900 languages threatened with extinction.
But experts say this is more the result of better research tools than of an increasingly dire situation for the world's many tongues. Still there is disheartening news. There are 199 languages in the world spoken by fewer than a dozen people, including Karaim which has six speakers in Ukraine and Wichita, spoken by 10 people in the US state of Oklahoma. The last four speakers of Lengilu talk among themselves in Indonesia.
Prospects are a bit brighter for some 178 other languages, spoken by between 10 and 150 people.
More than 200 languages have become extinct over the last three generations such as Ubykh that fell silent in 1992 when Tefvic Esenc passed on, Aasax in Tanzania, which disappeared in 1976, and Manx in 1974. India tops the list of countries with the greatest number of endangered languages, 196 in all, followed by the United States which stands to lose 192 and Indonesia, where 147 are in peril.
Australian linguist Christopher Moseley, who headed the atlas' team of 25 experts, noted that countries with rich linguistic diversity like India and the United States are also facing the greatest threat of language extinction. Even Sub-Saharan Africa's melting pot of some 2,000 languages is expected to shrink by at least 10 percent over the coming century, according to UNESCO.
On UNESCO's rating scale, 538 languages are critically endangered, 502 severely endangered, 632 definitely endangered and 607 unsafe. On a brighter note, Papua New Guinea, the country of 800 languages, the most diverse in the world, has only 88 endangered dialects. Certain languages are even showing signs of a revival, like Cornish, a Celtic language spoken in Cornwall, southern England, and Sishee in New Caledonia. Governments in Peru, New Zealand, Canada, the United States and Mexico have been successful in their efforts to prevent indigenous languages from dying out.
UNESCO deputy director Francoise Riviere applauded government efforts to support linguistic diversity but added that "people have to be proud to speak their language" to ensure it thrives.

The Enduring Voices Project, a partnership between National Geographic and the Living Tongues Institute is working to address this challenge head on. Don't miss the broadcast premiere of "The Linguists" February 26 on PBS. Check your local listings for details.

The Chinese Cabinet is considering the creation of a "cultural protection region" for the Qiang, an ethnic minority whose region was deeply affected by the massive earthquake in May. According to state-run reports, the Qiang, lost about %10 of their population in the devastation. For a community who has its own language, no written text and relies on elders to hand down ancient traditions, such losses may portend catastrophic consequences to the fabric of its entire culture. Only a few dozen of the shamen, or holy men, who are the gatekeepers of the Qiang's ancient traditions remain throughout the region. Known colloquially as the "people in the clouds", the Qiang live in the mountains of the Sichuan province with a history dating back 3,000 years. The government's move to extend this level of support at the cultural level provides a stark contrast to recent violent clashes with the Tibetans and the Ulghur ethnic minorities, who widely resent Chinese rule.

The pre-conference Maori cultural experience set the context for what was to become a rich, expansive gathering of amazing individuals, knowledge, ideas and networks. The conference opened Day 1 with a traditional Maori welcome (Powhiri) where the chosen leader of our delegation accepted our host's offer of welcome into their community. After a refreshing morning tea, we were treated to a scintillating performance by Moana & The Tribe.
The delightfully engaging Julian Wilcox, one of Maori Television's most familiar faces, set an upbeat and charming tone as the Master of Ceremonies, individually welcoming the delegation in the official languages of each of the represented countries. When he came to the United States, he veered into the political arena stating, "Obama 2008." Inspirational Maori civil rights advocate Dr. Huirangi Waikerepuru provided the Patron's welcome address making a call to the importance of language preservation and education. Dr. Waikerepuru's tireless efforts have had a tremendous impact towards the positive developments of the revitalization of Maori culture in New Zealand. It is interesting to note that following every keynote address, the recognized conference elders who were seated onstage in a special dedicated section, honored each speaker by leading the delegation in a traditional song. A few other interesting tidbits gathered from the morning's speakers which also included Gary Muriwai, Chairman, Maori Television and the Hon. Dr. Michael Cullen, Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand: There are over 370 million recognized indigenous peoples across the globe spread over 70 countries; the genesis of Maori Television is a result of government support in recognition of the dangerous 20th century decline of Maori language and culture; revitalization efforts are making a direct impact as there are currently more speakers of Maori today than 200 years ago; government support is also based on the protection and promotion of Indigenous culture to showcase the uniqueness of New Zealand as a nation. Following in this theme, Chief Judge Joseph Williams delivered a stimulating and metaphorically beautiful keynote address making the call of "Reclaiming the Future." He also stated how Maori language and culture are traditions not just for the Maori, but for all of New Zealand. Speaking directly to the broadcasters, he noted how it is through these mediums, that allows for the conversation of cultural identities to exist on a broad scale.

More to come...