Why do languages die?

Answer 1

- There are social, political and economic reasons. 1) No native speakers. As the number of speakers of a language dwindles, the language becomes increasingly endangered to the point of extinction. The youngest generation abandons the language entirely, never learns it or moves away to seek their fortunes elsewhere, in a location the language is not known or used. With this last generation, the language finally dies. 2) No written Form. Numerous languages existed with only a spoken, traditional form, passing down the customs, traditions and elements of the language.. Harsh climates, lack of durable materials or a distinctive absence of written structure all could contribute to the failure of a traditionally spoken language form. Pictorial forms of a language may exist on non-permanent or semi-permanent media such as animal skins, rock or cave paintings, crudely-formed parchment-like materials or carvings in tree trunks, logs or even as tattoos on human skin. 3) Absorption by Lingua Franca, which is a medium of communication between peoples of different languages. An increasing phenomenon which is causing the disappearance of numerous tongues is the "absorption" of cultures, communicative and data preservation aspects of a "minor" language by a stronger, more widely-spoken and commercially used lingua franca. The broader and more widely-used the lingua franca, the more range and options a group, tribe or groups of people have. Often this may take the form of a "pidgin" are mixture of indigenous languages merged into a more broadly communicative form like Melanesian Pidgin.