The team at Preply presented stark statistics on endangered languages worldwide. Fortunately, they gave us reason to hope, with evidence that education and immersion can revive a language, even one declared extinct—the regions where the most endangered languages are found are in Australia, where 133 languages are critically endangered. The Pacific region has 250 endangered languages, and Africa has 217 threatened languages, but this is a global problem.
The team went on to show successful language revivals. The Welsh language has spread, with 30% of native children aged 3 to 15 speaking it. The Welsh government has invested in language learning and set a goal of a million Welsh speakers by 2050. Compared with the Lakota language’s slower revival rate, we can see how policy and educational investment make a difference. The team also pointed out the revival of the Kaurna language from extinction. There are now 50 Kaurna speakers thanks to project-based research.
infographic by: preply.com
