Abstract
In every part of the world, minority peoples' languages are disappearing at an alarming speed, being replaced by major languages, such as English. Languages in danger of disappearing are called endangered languages, and the phenomenon is known as language endangerment. Language endangerment has been caused by various factors, such as colonization, and recently it has been accelerated by the introduction of modern life—TV, in particular. Endangered languages undergo changes of simplification and reduction—a process known as language obsolescence. Language is said to be the most outstanding intellectual achievement by mankind, and a given language is considered as one of the most central components of the given group's culture, representing their ethnic identity. Therefore, loss of languages is a matter of grave concern for the communities as well as the whole of mankind. Realization of the value of their linguistic heritage has urged many communities to make efforts to maintain—even revive—their language. Faced by language endangerment, the most urgent task of linguists is documentation of endangered languages. Without this, the invaluable linguistic heritage will be lost irretrievably, and neither language maintenance nor language revival will be possible.
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