B2 – Upper Intermediate
What languages do you think are the most common nowadays? According to UNESCO, 96 percent of the world’s population speaks only 4 percent of the world’s languages.
Read the article, discover why some languages are dying out today, and see if it is possible to save them.
Vocabulary Questions:
- What does “extinction” mean? Use this word in a sentence.
- Explain the word “collaboration” in your own words. Give some synonyms of this word.
- Based on the context of the sentence, “The website will contribute to raising the awareness about this International Year and about the urgent need to preserve, revitalize and promote indigenous languages around the world.” What does the underlined word mean?
Discussion Question:
- How many languages are there in the world?
- Is the Internet to blame for the extinction of languages? Why?
- What languages that are commonly used online are mentioned in the article?
- Why will the next generation probably use a foreign language to communicate?
- What is the main reason for some languages not being used online?
- Why is it so important to protect endangered languages?