By Zuko Komisa
Globally, many Indigenous languages are in danger of extinction, with one language disappearing every two weeks, according to estimates.
Did you know that after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish, English is the third most widely spoken language in the world?
However, English is both the most widely used language on the internet and the second most-spoken language in the entire globe. English as a second language will become more widespread as access to the digital world increases.
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Point of View with Phemelo Motene spoke to Prof Lolie Makhubu-Badenhorst, Chairperson of the Pan South African Language Board on the importance of preserving & reviving African languages
LISTEN TO THE FULL CONVERSATION HERE:
According to the UNESCO Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger estimates that between 1950 and 2010, 230 languages were extinct. Today, there are only 1,000 or fewer speakers of a third of all languages.
A language dies every two weeks, and between 50% and 90% of them are expected to vanish by the year 2100.
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Makhubu-Badenhorst argued that we lose a lot of the history, culture, and tradition of the people who spoke a language once it is lost.
He also added that we also lose crucial knowledge, like geographic information, regional customs, and original concepts that could help us communicate better and improve the world.
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