إطلالةٌ على ظاهرةِ ٱنْقراض ٱللُّغات ومستقبل العَرَبِيَّة

Abstract

This article attempts to shed light on the ancient phenomenon of the extinction of languages, which is rather unknown to most Arab readers. What is new in this phenomenon is the massive rate of language extinction. According to the National Geographic Society, a language dies every two weeks. At this rate, half of the world’s languages, which currently reach approximately 7,000, will die out by the end of this century.

A variety of questions and subjects are raised and discussed in the article. What is the definition of an extinct language? What are the internal and external factors that cause such an extinction? The extinction of a language may have the same result as committing suicide or murder. Extinction also means the impoverishment of a centuries-old civilization. It is distressing to note that, as a rule, this extinction happens to poor and developing nations, which are in dire need of their cultural resources to survive.

A selected list of moribund languages is given. Why does a specific language fall out of use or why do its speakers shift from their native tongue to another? An example is the Palestinian Arabs in Israel. Where are the hot spots of alarming language extinction? What can be done to preserve such dying languages? Is it possible to resuscitate a language? The influence of European colonial powers during the last centuries is also taken up. Is there any correlation between the extinction of a language and its syntactical structure – SVO, SOV, VOS, and OSV – or is there any relation between linguistic complexity and extinction? What is meant by linguistic balance? What will be the fate of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), for instance, after the depletion of Arab oil? What will be the nature of Palestinian Arabic in Israel by the end of this century if the wave of ‘Hebrewization’ continues?