Too important to lose
When a language dies, an amazing amount of knowledge dies with it. To begin with, language is a huge part of the culture of the people who speak it. Language allows speakers to say specific things: words that describe a cultural idea may not translate exactly into another language. Furthermore, many endangered languages have rich spoken cultures. Stories, songs, and histories are passed on from older people to younger generations. Anthropologist Elizabeth Lindsey emphasizes this. "When an elder dies,a library is burned," she claims
Language death also affects our knowledge about nature. Native tribes often have a deep understanding of local plants, animals, and ecosystems. David Harrison, an expert on endangered languages, reflects. "Eighty percent of (plant and animal) species have been undiscovered by science. But that doesn't mean they're unknown to humans.