What Makes a Language ‘Dying’ or ‘Living’?

A language is living if people use it every day to talk, read, and write. If a language isn't used much anymore, like in old stories or by a few people, it might be dying.

Why languages live or die

If many children learn the language, it grows stronger. But if fewer people speak it, especially not the next generation, the language gets weaker and may one day disappear.

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Examples

A grandpa speaks Italian at home, if his grandchild learns it too, it stays alive.
A person moves to a new country and starts speaking English every day, the old language might die.
Children in a village learn their local language as part of school, that helps keep it living.

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Categories: Culture · language,culture,communication