Endangered Languages
By David Horner
Of the approximately 7,000 languages spoken today, some 2,500 are generally considered endangered
When academics describe the evolution of languages, they literally mean that languages, compete for usage, and die out or develop offshoots like biological organisms. In a new research paper, “Digital Language Death,” mathematical linguist András Kornai asks what languages are endangered on-line and in usage on electronic devices. He presents evidence of a massive die-off caused by the move to the new digital mediums.
Kornai’s research suggests that thousands of languages may never make the leap into the digital age. A full 96% of the world’s languages appear to be dead when it comes to use on mobile phones, laptops, and tablets, meaning that *the Internet could be to languages what a certain comet was to the dinosaurs.*
*Citation:* Kornai A (2013) Digital Language Death.
