A language becomes extinct when no one speaks it anymore. Imagine a group of people who all speak the same language, like a family speaking Spanish at home. If that family moves away and starts speaking English instead, their children might not learn Spanish anymore. One day, there might be no more Spanish speakers left in that family, and that language could disappear.
It's like when you have a favorite toy that only one person plays with, if that person grows up and stops playing with it, the toy becomes forgotten.
Examples
- A family who all speak Italian moves to France and starts learning French, over time, their children don’t learn Italian anymore.
- An island where everyone speaks a local language is visited by people from the mainland, and soon most kids start speaking the mainland’s language instead.
- A grandparent teaches her grandchildren a traditional language every evening, but when she passes away, no one continues learning it.
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See also
- What Causes a Language to Be Lost Forever?
- How Do We Know a Language Is ‘Dead’?
- How Do We Know a Language Is ‘Alive’?
- How Did the First Languages Evolve and Why Are Some Easier to Learn Than Others?
- What Makes a Language ‘Dying’ or ‘Alive’?
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