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1. How important is the language you speak to your identity?
2. There are more than 7,000 languages spoken in the world today, and, on average, one of them disappears every ten days. What does that mean for the future of language diversity? What about the future of cultural diversity?
3. How is the revival of a language also the revival of a culture and a way of life? What else might be gained, for all of us, whenever a language is revived?

Word Count Requirement:

• First Post (400 words)
• Replies (250 words)

I would say the language I speak is both important and not so important to my identity. Within the context of the United States, the language I speak is not so important to my identity. Most places one can go will speak some variety of English, so communication is not a problem. Although there may exist some stigmatization based on where a person is from (heavy Boston accent or deep southern accent for instance) I would say personally the language I speak as my native language is not so important to my identity. Outside of the United States, the language I speak I think becomes part of my identity via the implications it has to other people. For example, in another English-speaking country like Great Britain, there may be positive or negative associations with the pronunciation of my English. Within the same language, people may look at me and think the way I pronounce words is better or worse than the way they pronounce words. This may lead to a more positive or negative predisposition towards me as a person. Furthermore, if I am in a country where English is not the primary language, my identity may become tied to the language I speak. If I am in a place that is more or less hospitable to American citizens, the people of the country may again form predispositions towards me based on my American English. Overall, though, I understand how language plays a role in one’s identity, but I never considered it a large part of my own while in America. While overseas, I do think my language contributes to my identity, especially the identity that other people attribute to me.

2.)     Because a language disappears on average once every ten days, it will soon be that only the most dominant and enduring languages, with large populations to support them, will continue into the future. The languages supported by smaller communities (mostly indigenous languages) will not have the staying power of languages that are used to communicate on a global scale. That suggests that the future of language diversity is much less diverse than it is currently. With a large die-off of languages, there may also be a resulting diminishment in cultural diversity. As language is a core part of culture, there may be a large decline in the cultures that encompass the dying languages. However, there may also be movements to adopt new more global languages and attempt to continue the practices of the culture with the new language.

3.)     The revival of language is also a revival of a culture and way of life because language offers a unique perspective into the lives and cultures of the people who speak that language. Things such as important aspects of culture, times of day, greetings, etc. can all shed insight into how a culture views different things. Because of this, a revival of language and culture can give anthropologists, and the world in general, a broader understand of human nature. As cultures and languages are revived, the world takes a step back from the intense globalization view that has been developed and learns to perhaps accept other ways of thinking.