Informational Text (for Final Exam): Why Do Languages Die?

What is the estimated number of languages in the world that are at risk of dying out by the end of the 21st century?

• Over 3,000

• Around 2,500

• Less than 1,000

• More than half of 6,900

In which country did speakers of the indigenous Lenca and Cacaopera abandon their language to avoid being identified as Indians after a massacre in 1932?

• Argentina

• El Salvador

• Mexico

• Brazil

What is one example of a language that gradually disappeared as speakers sought to learn a more prestigious language for social and economic advantages?

• Spanish in Spain

• Coptic in Egypt

• French in France

• German in Germany

What forces have strengthened the pressure for people around the world to adopt common languages used in various sectors?

• Industrial revolution

• Renaissance and humanism

• Colonization and imperialism

• Modernity and globalization

Which language was revived as a spoken language in a modernized form in the 19th–20th century and is now the first language of millions of people in Israel?

• Latin

• Greek

• Hebrew

• Arabic

What is the main reason small communities of speakers might abandon their language quickly?

• To avoid discrimination

• To maintain tradition

• To preserve their culture

• To gain social status

What event led to the massacre in El Salvador in 1932, causing speakers of indigenous languages to abandon their language?

• Flood

• Earthquake

• Tsunami

• Uprising

What is one sector where common languages are used due to modernity and globalization?

• Sports

• Technology

• Fashion

• Agriculture

What is the fate of languages in many cases according to the text?

• They are preserved in museums

• They are forgotten forever

• They are banned by governments

• They are revived as a matter of regional or ethnic identity

What language continued to be used as a language of religion and scholarship even after dying out as a colloquial language in the 2nd century CE?

• Greek

• Arabic

• Latin

• Hebrew