Myth 2

Some Languages are Just Not Good Enough

Languages of the world

• Between 6000-7000 languages.• 95% of the world’s people speak fewer than 100 of

the approximate 6,000 different languages.• Not all languages have script.• Classical Languages (limited function) :– Latin– Sanskrit– Classical Greek

• Several languages of the world have less than 10,000 speakers.

Widely Used Languages

• In terms of number of speakers– English (international language of science and

technology, travel, communication, business) (365,000,000)

– French (72,000,000)– Spanish (387,000,000)– Chinese (Mandarin) (935,000,000)– Hindi (295,000,000)– Bengali (189,000,000)– Arabic (280,000,000)

Lesser know languages of the world

• Chamicuro (Chamekolo, Chamicolo, Chamicura) spoken in Peru. (8 people speak this language – 2008 data)

• Dumi, language of Nepal (8 people speak this language – 2007 data)

• Ongota/Birale (Ethiopia)• Liki (Moar) (Islands of Indonesia)• Tanema (Tanima, Tetawo) (Solomon Islands)• Njerep (Nigeria)• Chmehuevi (Midwest/Western coast of US)• Maori (New Zealand)

Written Script

• Some languages do not have scripts• Some languages have alphabetic writing

system• Some have logographic/pictorial writing

system.• Some have ‘phonetic’ writing system.

Are Some Languages Superior ToOthers?

• Until start of 20th century, European linguists were convinced that Western languages were superior to others.

• Anthropologists have shown that people from technologically simple societies are not less capable of expressing a variety of abstract ideas

• Every language on Earth has the ability to express any thought: even sign languages, even pidgins, even the seemingly half-baked English creoles in West Africa, the Caribbean, etc.

• No one language is more efficient at expressing abstract ideas than others

• Languages were considered ‘culturally’ superior in history (Latin, French, Sanskrit, Classical Greek, Classical Arabic)

Why are some languages not good enough?

• Reason 1: Language features– Can’t compound words easily– Morphologically very complex– Do not have vocabulary– Do not have efficient grammatical structure to

express abstract ideas • tense/aspectual morphemes, singular/plural

morphemes, gender morphemes, word order etc.

– No grammar

Why are some languages not good enough?

• Reason 2 – Some languages are ugly, barbaric, rude, sound harsh– Languages are not ugly, or rude – it is a social

judgment of speakers of other people who think they are better than others.

• Reason 3 – Some languages do not have vocabulary and logical structure to discuss ‘abstract’ thoughts used in Science/Art/Literature/music etc.