English: Killer Language or Lingua Franca? The Fate of Endangered Tongues

English: Killer or Lingua Franca? Language endangerment is real, but English's role is debated. Revitalization faces challenges; success is cultural vibrancy, not just numbers. A linguistic renaissance may be on the horizon.

• English as a "killer" language is debated. Some argue it drives smaller languages to extinction.
• Linguist Salikoko Mufwene argues English expands as a lingua franca, not necessarily killing indigenous languages. The "killer" label is Eurocentric; multilingualism is common outside Europe.
• English is diverging into varieties. It may not go the way of Latin due to media exposure.
• Linguist Nicholas Evans suggests English could settle into diglossia: a gap between shared written form and spoken varieties.
• Nearly half of the world's 7,000 languages are endangered; 1,500 could vanish this century.
• Hebrew's revival is a unique success. Welsh revitalization faces challenges, influenced by English.
• Revival shouldn't be measured by numbers but by a vibrant culture and youth adoption. Reclaimed languages evolve.
• Keeping endangered languages alive is good if speakers want it. Address inequalities causing language abandonment.
• Language is a tool useful for as long as it opens doors. Language deaths may be exaggerated; births underestimated.
• Are we on the brink of a linguistic renaissance?