Colombia: Saving Dying Languages

Colombia currently ranks fourth in the world in the number of spoken indigenous languages, after Brazil, Mexico and Peru. Nevertheless, only three of those indigenous languages are spoken by more than 50,000 people, and most of the indigenous languages could vanish by the end of the century, reports John Otis for the GlobalPost. Increasingly more indigenous people choose to learn Spanish over their native tongue, decreasing the number of speakers and the language’s lifespan. The majority of Colombian society speaks Spanish, a requirement in education and for most jobs. Recently, there has been a shift towards preserving at least some indigenous languages from extinction. A variety of groups, including an evangelical missionary group based in the US, are teaching the languages alongside the Bible and compiling a database. One missionary spokesman insists that the outside group is enhancing rather than destroying indigenous cultures. The foreign help will preserve languages, but cultures are sure to quickly change. – YaleGlobal