How Are ‘Languages’ Created and Why Do Some Die Out?

Languages are like big families, they grow, split up, and sometimes even die. A language can be born when people from different groups start talking to each other and mix their words. Sometimes it dies out if too few people use it anymore, like a small family with no kids.

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Examples

A group of kids from different countries at summer camp start mixing up words and creating their own slang.
An old man stops speaking his mother tongue because he can’t find anyone else who knows it anymore.
Two neighboring tribes trade goods and eventually begin to speak the same language.

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Categories: Culture · language,communication,cultural evolution