Lilian Loh

Professor Morgan

English 1302

2018 February 09

Cause and Effect Essay: The Downturn of Linguistic Diversity

Language and identity have been a core aspect of humanity. In society, language has arisen

naturally to serve as an ability to communicate, while varying cultures, traditions, and customs also have

resulted. The history of language is extremely broad and meticulous, but one would certainly know the

tremendous effects of language on the society today. Notably, language is linked with culture, meaning

that the prevalence of an array languages indicates a plethora of diversifying cultures. However, the

diversity of the world’s languages are recently declining in numbers, which means that the amount of

variety in the cultures around the world is also dwindling.

Unlike the common languages most people speak, such as English, Spanish, and Chinese, the

gradual depreciation of linguistic diversity primarily threatens marginalized national and ethnic minority

groups. This is simply due to the discontinuation of passing on the language since the amount of people in

their groups are small when compared to the amount of people speaking the more common languages. To

specify, “Estimates of the number of [marginalized national and ethnic minority] groups range from

5,000 to 8,000 and include among them the world’s indigenous peoples, who comprise about 4% of the

world’s population but speak up to 60% of its languages,” (Romaine 32). These figures indicate that the

variety of global linguistic diversity predominantly stems from abstruse and alienated groups of people.
Therefore to preserve and maintain the world’s linguistic diversity, one can focus more on these groups of

people by learning their language and immersing in their culture.

Nonetheless, since languages are continuing to disappear, this loss of language leads to political,

cultural, and social displacement. “Although language is only one of many features (e.g. dress, behavior

patterns, race, religion, nationality, occupation, etc.) that may mark identity, either individually or

collectively, many regard languages as a benchmark for cultural diversity because virtually every major

aspect of human culture ranging from kinship classification to religion is dependent on language for its

transmission,” (Romaine 32). A vital example would be former leader of the Parti Quebecois and Quebec

Prime Minister Rene Levesque, where he said, “Being ourselves is essentially a matter of keeping and

developing a personality that has survived for three and half centuries. At the core of this personality is

the fact that we speak French. To be unable to live as ourselves, as we should live, in our own language

and according to our own ways, would be like living without a heart,” (Romaine 32). Thus, since

language is typically the foundation of culture, preserving these world languages allows cultural diversity

to also be maintained and respected.

In conclusion, the effect of languages slowly receding from the world negatively influences the

cultural diversity of the globe. Due to the rapidly globalizing world with only a handful of very popular

languages and many thousands of small ones, “maintenance of linguistic diversity is inextricably linked to

the survival of small communities,” (Romaine 33). Unfortunately, the speakers of most of the languages

are at the greatest risk of disappearing because they are “very often also the poorest of the poor at the

bottom of the economic ladder,” (Romaine 33). For example, Africa is the linguistically richest region on

earth, but is the economically poorest. To preserve the linguistic diversity requires reaching out and

giving a helping hand. Therefore, linguistic diversity is paramount to maintain cultural diversity, which

ultimately connects to one’s identity.

 Work Cited

Romaine, Suzanne. “The Global Extinction of Languages and Its Consequences for

Cultural Diversity.”

http://www.springer.com/cda/content/document/cda_downloaddocument/9783319104546-c2.pdf?

SGWID=0-0-45-1492462-p176900229​.