Ninety percent of the world's language may disappear in the next century. Why does this matter?

“YudjEhanAno^ suKAnAno^” These are the words that elder Mose Cahwee left us with before he passed away in 2003. The words mean: “We the Euchee (Yuchi) people are still here.” Mose was one of six remaining fluent speakers of the Euchee language, an ancient Native American language linguistically independent from any other language on earth. With Mose gone, the Euchee community is left with only one fluent male speaker, which is particularly significant because Euchee speech for women and men is different.

The severely endangered status of the Euchee language, however, is not a unique phenomenon. For most Indigenous communities, their languages may not even survive into the next century. According to language expert Michael Krauss, over 73% of the remaining Indigenous languages within the United States are spoken only by the “grandparents’ generation,” meaning they are less than one generation from extinction. The Chairman of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Ole Henrik Magga, stated, “In the next 20 years, half of the world's languages will be lost.”

Language loss is increasingly becoming a matter of international awareness. February 21st is International Mother Language Day. Unfortunately, every year it is held there are progressively fewer and fewer languages to celebrate. While the United Nations may be taking increasing interest in the state of the world’s languages, most people are still oblivious to this pressing issue. Although many have heard about the severe endangerment of mammals and birds, many remain unaware that nearly 90% of the world’s 6,800 may disappear over the next century. On the other hand, scientists have only labeled 10% of mammals and 5% of birds as endangered.

Although linguistic streamlining may foster a more efficient means of communication, the loss of language for Indigenous peoples signifies the severance of bonds to historical identity, place, and culture. As one elder told the American Indian Language Development Institute, “I speak my favourite language because that’s who I am. We teach our children our favourite language because we want them to know who they are.” For many Indigenous peoples, however, the choice has already been made. UNESCO estimates suggest that only 4% of the world’s population represents 97% percent of the world’s linguistic diversity. At the current rate, one language is lost every two weeks on average.

If current trends continue, the extent of the world’s knowledge and diversity that will be lost is unfathomable. The wealth of cultural, historical, environmental, and medicinal knowledge that contributes to the harmony and well being of the earth is at stake and in danger of permanent extinction. As Chairman Henrik Magga stated, “Language is the essence of our biologically and ethnically diverse world…Each language is a unique expression of the human experience of the world.” Kenneth Hale, a linguist at MIT, explicitly stated the cultural impact of language extinction: “When you lose a language, it’s like dropping a bomb on a museum.”

In addition to their cultural importance, languages also play a major political role in the existence and well being of communities. For example, the Euchee Nation has been seeking official recognition from the United States government for decades. The loss of the Euchee language would make the attainment of federal recognition nearly impossible, although the Euchee people have lived on this land for thousands of years before the existence of the United States.

As a member of the Euchee community in Oklahoma, I realize that every day I spend studying at Dartmouth, my language comes one day closer to extinction; that is, one day closer to being added to a long list of already extinct languages.

As Henrik Magga says, “Think about it. Wouldn’t the world be a much duller and less vibrant place if we all spoke the same language, had the same culture and never experienced anything else?”

With this in mind, Euchee community members are keeping elder Mose Cahwee’s words close to heart. Yet, with no fluent speakers under the age of seventy-five, the number of people who understand those words is quietly fading. For the time being, the Euchee language is still here, and we the Euchee people can still say, “yUdjEhanAno^ suKAnAno^.” We the Euchee people are still here.