What Makes a Language 'Alive'?

A language is alive when people use it every day. Imagine a language like a big, happy family, if all the family members keep talking and playing together, the language stays strong. But if no one speaks it anymore, it becomes like an old, quiet house that no one visits.

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Examples

  1. A child learning to speak Spanish at school keeps it alive.
  2. Grandma telling stories in her native tongue helps the language live on.
  3. Friends chatting in their favorite language keep it going.

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Categories: Science · Language· Linguistics· Cultural Evolution · Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.