Visit the following website and answer questions 1-3 (You MAY copy and paste your answers from the website for questions 1-3): http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/endangered-languages/atlas-of-languages-in-danger/
1. How many languages have gone extinct since 1950?
2. What is the definition (called Intergenerational Language Transmission in the grey chart on the website) of a vulnerable language?
3. What is the definition (called Intergenerational Language Transmission in the grey chart on the website) of a critically endangered language?
Visit the following website and answer questions 4-6 (You MAY copy and paste your answers from the website for questions 4-6): http://www.unesco.org/languages-atlas/en/atlasmap.html.
Under “Search tools,” you can select specific countries and even “Vitality” levels; press the grey “Search languages” button and a map will display. *Note: dismiss any map display error messages. Zoom in and out on the map by pressing the + or – key in the lower right hand corner of the map. You will see different colored markers corresponding to vitality level (see vitality key to right under “Search tools”). To display revitalized languages, select a country and click the box labeled “R” for “Revitalized” at the bottom of the vitality key and hit “Search languages.” Click on individual markers or the language name in the right hand column for more information. Change these display features to answer the following questions.
4. What is the spatial distribution or pattern of revitalized languages around the world and why do you think that is? Think back to previous units covered in this class for clues.
5. Of the 75 critically endangered languages in the USA, how many speakers does the Konkow language in California have?
6. How many languages in danger (select “All” under the “Vitality” drop down menu) does Papua New Guinea have?
Visit these websites to learn about Papua New Guinea and languages:
https://www.pangeanic.com/knowledge_center/country-with-the-highest-level-of-language-diversity-papua-new-guinea/
https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2018/11/16/lost-in-translation-papua-new-guinea-wins-the-language-olympics.html
7. List 3 reasons experts believe that Papua New Guinea is the most linguistically diverse place on Earth.
For the last part of this homework, you have to find an article that discusses the preservation of any endangered language in the world. Complete a Google search narrowing to News articles to find an appropriate article. **Reach out to me if you have trouble completing a search or finding an article.
Combine knowledge you learn from the article from your textbook under the Preserving Language section and respond to question 8.
8. Describe the specific approaches towards preservation that you learned about in your article. In general, explain what you think are the top 3 most effective ways or approaches to preserving or revitalizing a language in today’s world. Your response should be at least 150 words and must include the web link to the news article you found (no formal formatting required). *Note: Do NOT string together a series of direct quotes with quotation marks. I want to read YOUR words.
9. Briefly share what language(s) you used and learned in K-12/primary and secondary school and if learning a second language was required or optional. Should programming languages used for computer coding, like Java, Python, C++, etc be allowed to count towards a second language school requirement; why or why not? Do you think it should be a requirement to learn a second language in K-12 school; why or why not? Do you think it should be a requirement to learn a second language at the college or university level; why or why not? Think about your specific major or intended field of study and reflect from that standpoint. (my language is Vietnamese/ Japanese.)
