What Makes a ‘Language’ Spread and Why Do Some Languages Disappear?

Imagine a language as a group of people who all speak the same way. If they become powerful or important, more people want to learn their language, and it can spread like fire in a forest. But if that group becomes smaller or gets replaced by another, their language might fade away because fewer people use it anymore.

Power helps languages grow, just like a big tree can shade many small ones.