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  • Essay / Endangered languages ​​must be saved from extinction from a heritage and cultural perspective

    Endangered languages ​​belong to a class of people primarily identified as indigenous. These peoples often use a particular language that is not shared by any other tribe or community, are defined as socially disadvantaged, nomadic or isolated from the rest of humanity, practice animism or ancestral worship, depend on nature for their subsistence by participating in a primitive culture such as hunting. , fishing and agriculture, have limited knowledge of modern technologies, only retain a very small number of them and are considered vulnerable (EIA Drilling). These rarefied languages ​​date back thousands of years to earlier human species that roamed the earth. The United Nations has compiled a list of hundreds of endangered languages ​​with only 1-3 speakers surviving today. Of the 7,000 to 8,000 languages ​​spoken in the world, New York, one of the largest metropolitan capitals in the world, is home to around 800 spoken languages, with some indigenous languages ​​hardly used even in the country of origin but being there spoken. About 400 of the 800 languages ​​spoken in New York are considered endangered (Global Language Association). Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an Original Essay Given the alarming and dying trend of ancient languages, organizations such as the Endangered Language Alliance of New York, the Organization of the United Nations Educational and Cultural Sciences (UNESCO), the Global Language Association and the Modern Languages ​​Institute for Endangered Languages ​​come together to save some almost extinct languages ​​through public awareness, documentation, grammatical construction and education. Although this world is very multilingual, a phenomenon called steamroller languages ​​(such as English, Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, French, Russian and German) dominates, absorbing minority cultures to forgetting traditional languages ​​and pushing them towards “modern civilization”. More than 50% of the world's population speaks these major languages. The New York Times interviewed Husni Husain, 69, as the only Mamuju speaker in New York. The rest of his family is from Java, Indonesia, and does not speak the language. Husni Husain migrated from Mamuju to Queens in recent years. He mentions that “his wife is from Java and his children were born in Jakarta – they don't associate with Mamuju, he doesn't read books in Mamuju. They don't publish any. He only speaks Mamuju when he returns or when he speaks to his brother on the phone. Husni believes that speaking Mamuju is a unique gift. He sees that this makes him an ambassador of his culture since he turned out to be the only one to speak Mamuju in the United States. He never passed the language on to his daughter because he never thought she would fall into obscurity. However, CUNY Professor Daniel Kaufman is working feverishly with Husain as part of the Mamuju Project, to document the language, compile a book, and preserve it before it's too late. Dr. Kaufman collaborates with many immigrants in the New York area to collect data on expiring languages ​​and works to save them from disuse and extinction (Roberts). Indeed, Husain is the only speaker in New York and perhaps the United States of Mamju. Mamuju is a language spoken by the people of West Sulawesi in Indonesia, mainly those in Mamuju District. This district is a very diverse melting pot since other peoples also coexist with the Mamuju such as the Mandar, theBugis, Makassar, Toraja, Manado, Bali, Karampuang and Java. Currently, Mamuju has around 60,000 speakers in this specific region. Mamuju district, since 1999, has joined with Polewali, Mamasa and Majene districts to form a single province. Mamuju speakers are heavily concentrated in this region and depend on fishing and agriculture for their livelihood. The Mamuju neighborhood is located in an underdeveloped area with no electricity in which researchers have noted outbreaks of malaria and other illnesses attributed to poor housing, hygiene, and circumstances (Ramani). Other factors that affect the residents of Mamuju district are lack of education, low income, unemployment and poor access to health services (Ridwan 2004). Mamuju comes from the large Austronesian family which has 270 million speakers and 1,200 languages. Austronesian, translated as "southern islands", is the family of languages ​​originating mainly from the Polynesian island north of Australia. Stretching from countries bordering the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from Madagascar to the Easter Islands, Austronesian languages ​​have established themselves as a major linguistic race (Bellwood). Ethnologists have traced the origins of Austronesian to Taiwan around 6,000 years ago, where proto-Austronesian languages ​​developed through nomadic migration. Related to Chinese, the most predominant Austronesian language is Malay, widely spoken across the Indonesian and Malaysian islands. It is a major international language spoken by tens of millions of people. Unlike other places in the world, Austonesian languages ​​have been relatively isolated from factors such as politics and communication that stifle, dilute, and cause language death (Dalby 47). Countries like Singapore, the Philippines, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia are part of the Austronesian family. The Indonesian kingdoms from Srivijaya, important in the 7th BC. BC, were powerful empires founded on its naval prowess. The ancient fingerprints of these people have been found all over Malaysia, southern China and Indonesia. These people were proficient in sailing, which was essential to their nomadic lifestyle, as they quickly traveled from island to island and imported/exported valuable goods. Their rulers called themselves Maharaja kings. From the beginning, Mamuju was a kingdom located in the vicinity of Mandar, West Sulawesi. The Mamuju people were characterized as valiant, noble and proud. Mamuju was a dynasty that was subjugated to external forces. The last surviving monarch named Mandar/Mamuju is Andi Maksun Dai of Mamuju. This nobleman of royal origin heads the Council of Rajas and Sultans of Sulawesi. From this information, we deduce that the Mamuju language enjoys a certain prestige. Mamuju is not just a political district, it is a principality ruled by people of royal lineage. In addition to their activism, the Mamuju are also historically renowned for their maritime expertise as sailors. Navigation plays an important role for the Mamuju since their land is adjacent to the Makassar Strait, a narrow body of water that separates them from Malaysia. Textiles and silk weaving demonstrate the refined tastes of this ethnic group. Certain relics found near Mamuju seem to bear witness, according to archaeologists, to excavations and gold mining. A gold Buddha statue dated to around the 5th century and small gold deposits near rivers also provide evidence of sophisticated manufacturing skills and possible conflicts over the valuable mineral (OConnor 219). However, with the decline of social status.