When Does A Language Go Extinct?

A language goes extinct when no one speaks it anymore, like when your favorite toy gets left behind and forgotten in a closet.

Imagine you and your friends all speak the same special secret language to play games together. But then, one by one, your friends move away. They stop speaking the secret language because they don’t need it anymore. Soon, only you are left, and you still speak the secret language, but if no one else learns it or uses it, it becomes a lost language.

• If people who speak a language move away or die, and no new people learn it, the language can fade away.
• Sometimes, kids grow up learning another language instead of their parents’ language. That’s like switching from your secret language to a new one, the old one might get forgotten.

If enough people keep speaking a language, even if they only use it at home or in special times, the language can live on. It's like how some toys stay favorite forever, just because you still play with them every day. A language goes extinct when no one speaks it anymore, like when your favorite toy gets left behind and forgotten in a closet.

Imagine you and your friends all speak the same special secret language to play games together. But then, one by one, your friends move away. They stop speaking the secret language because they don’t need it anymore. Soon, only you are left, and you still speak the secret language, but if no one else learns it or uses it, it becomes a lost language.