In language, as in love, if you keep it to yourself, it will dry up and disappear.

Dear Fellow Earthlings,

In today's installment let's take a look at the final 2 of the 5 major points that must be considered

as bases for preserving a language:

4. Making sure that all people of the linguistic community either maintain or acquire high levels of

expertise in using the language slated for preservation at home, at school, in the community, and

at religious (if applicable) and other social institutions.

5. Making maximum use of technology to make up for a lack of numbers -- but never allow a

language slated for preservation to be taken over by AI. Rather that language should be nurtured

and spread by human beings who push it to be all it can be even while recognizing that speakers

of ALL OTHER LANGUAGES have the right to do that same with their own tongues.

The fourth point is one that entails a huge amount of commitment on the part of those seeking not

only to preserve but also to nurture their language. Time and money must be spent on the research,

instructor training, and infrastructure needed to ensure that schools where the language is taught --

and proactively spoken -- are constructed.

Furthermore, the community must provide complete support for the language. If the language is to be

employed in districts where other languages are also being promulgated, then it is of the essence for a

spirit of give-and-take to be adhered to among the various language groups. It CAN all work so long as

respect for languages other than the one or ones a person favors is maintained.

Respect for religious freedom and diversity is a watchword here. A great many languages are directly

tied to particular religious beliefs while others have little direct relationship to any particular religion. Such

diversity is a hallmark of humanity and should be allowed to flower under a rubric of common decency and

respect for all human activity so long as it is peaceful and well thought out.

In the workplace, whether it be a ballf ield, an office, an online retailer, or a beauty salon, a language

must be spoken in an unrestrained manner so that it can be truly a language rather than a limited

"sub-language" reserved only for home use, religious purposes, or in a secretive manner by a group

seeking to keep from sharing it.

In short, if you don't use it, you lose it! Indeed, dying languages are characterized by its few remaining

native speakers' efforts to not share it with "outsiders".

The fifth point as we seek to preserve a language is to employ technology to make up for a lack of numbers

while at the same time taking measures to keep the language from being merely an AI entity. So long as AI

is kept as a vassal for human endeavor rather than a vessel leading to human obsolescence (See installments

298, 300,316, 317, 318, 369.), it can be of great utility in helping "small languages" (those used by fewer than

100,000 or so speakers) cheat oblivion.

In language, as in love, if you keep it to yourself, it will dry up and disappear.

The exact sub-steps to employ in ensuring that the five points for language preservation expounded upon

in this and my two previous blog installments, vary according to the situation. I urge people seeking to preserve

their languages to contact me forthwith so that I can help them in their efforts to do so!

In tomorrow's installment, I will go over the successes and failures I myself have had as I seek to preserve

languages.

Steve Walker

Earthsaver and Jingles Creator

EarthSaver