Almost Half Of All Languages Are Disappearing Worldwide

Published: Tuesday, October 16, 2018 - 2:44pm
Audio icon Download mp3 (9.26 MB)

There are thousands of languages around the world — more than 6,000, by one count.

But, nearly half of those are disappearing. And many of those are indigenous languages.

RELATED: Akimel O’odham Is Disappearing: What Does It Take To Save A Language?

Rosalyn LaPier studies traditional ecological knowledge at the University of Montana. She argues the loss of these languages means more than just losing the language itself — we lose something important about our understanding of the natural world.

The Show spoke with her more about it recently via Skype.

Science Sustainability The Show