Like so many endangered animal species, most endangered languages can be preserved only in, as it were, zoos. This is a worthwhile effort only if these languages can be expected to regain their, say, natural habitats in not so distant future. But this is hard to imagine in an era of mass communications, dominated by global languages such as English, Mandarin, and Spanish. Admirable as all efforts to save endangered languages may appear at first glance (“When Nobody Understands,” October 25, 2008), they will offer but scant temporary comfort to those whose native tongues are on the brink of extinction. As most of them are elderly, this is perhaps all that is both required and justified in terms of effort. Barring a collapse of our civilization, which would undoubtedly bolster language diversity, as well as give a new lease on life to many endangered species, all else is a mirage.

Addendum (October 31, 2008)

“Contrary to what you say,” wrote Peter Austin, an Australian linguist involved in the effort to save endangered languages who was quoted by The Economist, in his response to my letter, “there are numerous examples of languages being revitalized and communities who were abandoning them deciding to refocus their attention on their heritage languages. The moribund languages spoken only by old people are a special case, and there are many other instances where so-called ‘language death’ has been averted.” Overjoyed that he used the feedback function on my website to get in touch with me, I responded at once: “To tell you the truth, I am delighted by what you say.” I was not exaggerating, either. “My letter perhaps sounds too cold,” I continued. “I do care for what you are fighting for, and my letter reflects temporary pessimism that struck me upon reading the article in the mighty newspaper.” God bless the World Wide Web once again.