Our Disappearing World Languages

In this article on the LifeBoat Foundation’s website, Laurence Baines discusses the loss of languages around the world and the increasing shift toward the major five tongues. From a futures perspective we appreciate that a language often contains within it, a way of knowing that is missing in someone who may have learned to speak a language later in life. Baines discusses five key trends: 1 – Images are replacing words;

2 – the written word is losing authority; 3 – there is a changing environment for words; 4 – the effects of neural Darwinism; 5 – the rise of translating machines

The end result is a loss of potential understanding and therein, we could argue, potential for solutions.  It’s a good article and one well worth a read.  The LifeBoat Foundation exists to think about and plan for problems likely to end the human race.  I’m on its Futures Advisory Board.  Here’s the article