Linguistic diversity
Read Linguistic diversity and check the IELTS Reading answers. More than half of the world's languages are at risk, but an unlikely saviour is at hand. What is an endangered language? As a rough guide, any language with fewer than 10,000 speakers is in danger. However, the total number of speakers…
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More than half of the world's languages are at risk, but an unlikely saviour is at hand. What is an endangered language? As a rough guide, any language with fewer than 10,000 speakers is in danger. However, the total number of speakers is not always a clear indication of the health of a language. In the South Andaman Islands, for example, fewer than 100 people speak Onge, but it is the primary language of those who do, and, critically, the first language of all the islands' children. Consequently, it would be considered less threatened than a language such as Chipewyan in Canada, where more than 4,000 belong to the ethnic group that uses the language, but there is little use among the new generation.
Vocabulary from this passage
11 words worth learning before you sit the test, each with the sentence it appears in.
- assimilation noun
The sociological process of systematically absorbing minority cultural groups into the dominant societal culture
Historical government policies often forcibly demanded the complete assimilation of indigenous groups into the dominant European culture.
- autonomy noun
The recognized political right or structural condition of self-government; complete freedom from external systemic control or influence
The decentralized nature of the modern internet permanently grants minority groups the autonomy to publish their own digital media.
- comprehensible adjective
Logically able to be understood; intellectually clear or fully intelligible to the human mind
Utilizing a single global language would theoretically make our complex academic ideas comprehensible to everyone.
- conspire verb
To seemingly work together systematically to bring about a particular negative or restrictive societal result
Harsh economic pressures and rigid educational policies inevitably conspire to force minority populations to abandon their native tongues.
- implicit endorsement noun
Unspoken, indirect, or subtly implied institutional approval and systemic support for a particular social policy or ideology
Conducting all official government business solely in English serves as an implicit endorsement of national monolingualism.
- metropolitan adjective
Directly relating to or denoting a large, economically busy, and densely populated urban geographic center
The dominant language originally spoken only in metropolitan centers eventually spread aggressively to remote rural communities.
- misconceived adjective
Fundamentally poorly described, planned, or judged; intellectually based on a faulty or utterly incorrect understanding
The government's strict educational policy is based on a misconceived notion that bilingualism inherently hinders national unity.
- pervasive influence noun
A widespread, deeply rooted sociological power to silently affect behavioral trends or collective thinking across demographics
The pervasive influence of mainstream Western media has steadily created a permanent cultural divide between different generations.
- prestige noun
Widespread societal respect and admiration felt for someone or something based on a perception of high achievements
During the height of the Roman Empire, there was considerable social prestige intrinsically associated with speaking Latin.
- repository noun
A central place, physical building, or abstract conceptual receptacle where significant things or knowledge are securely stored
Every traditional indigenous language serves as an irreplaceable repository of cultural values and ecological wisdom.
- salvation noun
The ultimate preservation or miraculous deliverance of something from severe harm, systemic ruin, or total loss
Paradoxically, modern digital communication technology might ultimately prove to be the salvation of the world's most critically endangered languages.
Answers with explanations
- 27. NO
The statement is **NO**. The passage explicitly states that the Onge language is "less threatened" because it remains the first language of the islands' children, directly contradicting the claim that it has a **particularly poor chance of survival**.
- 28. YES
The statement is **YES**. The text confirms that the "majority of linguists argue... diversity matters", which supports the idea that they **oppose a single global language**.
- 29. YES
The statement is **YES**. The text explains that even though there was no forced assimilation, "people who wanted to get on in life tended to learn it" (Latin) because of its prestige, meaning they **chose** to become speakers.
- 30. NOT GIVEN
The statement is **NOT GIVEN**. The text notes that majority languages are penetrating into "smaller communities", but it never makes a comparison asserting that they are spreading **faster** there than in larger communities.
- 31. NO
The statement is **NO**. The text explains that the internet initially was only available to English speakers, but later the "diversity of languages on the web increased rapidly". This means the proportion of English has decreased relative to the 1990s, not become **greater**.
- 32. I
The summary needs a word implying a negative consequence that would be avoided. Making ideas "comprehensible" means there would be fewer instances of confusion or **misunderstandings** (Option **I**).
- 33. D
Marcus Colchester connects people's language use directly to their relationship with their "environment". The word in the options list that acts as an exact synonym for environment is **surroundings** (Option **D**).
- 34. F
Colchester refers to "day-to-day activities such as hunting, fishing and farming", which represent traditional forms of work. The best matching word from the list is **occupations** (Option **F**).
- 35. A
Maffi argues that losing languages equates to losing "creativity and inventiveness" and "alternative solutions to human problems". Solutions and inventiveness correspond to having fewer **ideas** (Option **A**) available.
- 36. A
The correct option is **A**. The writer compares Onge and Chipewyan to demonstrate that primary usage among a population is a "key factor in determining how endangered a language is", rather than simply looking at the total number of speakers.
- 37. B
The correct option is **B**. Nicholas Ostler draws a direct parallel between the Roman Empire's creation of "larger communities" (urbanisation) and the modern trend of moving to "cities", representing a shift towards living in more extended social groups.
- 38. D
The correct option is **D**. Maffi notes that society promotes a "misconceived either/or ideology" that wrongly forces people to believe they must choose between maintaining their mother tongue and learning the majority language.
- 39. A
The correct option is **A**. The eighth paragraph explains how the media's glamorisation of majority lifestyles alters young people's "perceptions of their mother tongue", making it difficult for them to value it.
- 40. B
The correct option is **B**. Peter Austin points to the "lack of control on the internet" and the "autonomy" it gives users. This aligns perfectly with the main advantage being "the freedom its users can have" to document their own languages.