KOÇ UNIVERSITY – ELC SPRING 2025

INTERMEDIATE READING SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL

THE DEATH OF LANGUAGES

Pre-Reading Questions: Before reading the text below, think about the following questions. Discuss your ideas with
a partner.

1. If you could instantly learn any language in the world, which one would you choose and why?

2. Imagine you wake up one day and everyone speaks a new language that you don’t understand. How would you
feel? How would you communicate?

The Death of Languages

(1) Worldwide there are approximately 7,000 languages spoken today, with around 7 billion people in the world.
This could mean that each language is spoken by 100,000 people. However, some languages are used much
more than others. Half of the world speaks just a small number of languages, with the top five being Mandarin,
Spanish, Hindi, English, and Arabic. Together, these languages account for just under 2 billion people in the
world. With so many people speaking so few languages, many others are under threat of disappearing. Some
estimates suggest that between 50 to 90% of languages will no longer exist by the year 2100. Could something
be done to stop the death of these languages?

(2) The distribution of language diversity varies greatly across the world. For example, there are just over 200
languages spoken in Europe, but around 2,000 in Asia. Some places have an especially high range of local
languages. For example, Papua New Guinea is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world, with
over 800 languages. The problem occurs when fewer and fewer people speak a language. In North America, for
example, there are over 150 languages. However, around half of these are spoken by only a small number of
people. In fact, around 25% of the world's languages are in a similar situation. Some argue that languages are
disappearing as fast as many species of animals. Languages, though, unlike animals, are not dependent on
surviving in a particular environment. So why are so many disappearing?

(3) Some languages die and others become widely used for a variety of reasons. Some are historical and relate to
when a small number of powerful nations and their languages diffused to different parts of the world. Some
languages faced discrimination and were even banned. Others were still used, but because powerful groups
preferred a different language, they became less common. Once a language achieves a superior position in
society because it is either enforced through law or has a special status in education, it makes it hard for other
languages to survive. However, historically and even today, arguably the main reason for the death of a language
is commerce.

(4) When we think of languages taking over others in commerce, it is easy to jump to the conclusion that the world
has become more global. However, this process started along with urbanization, as more people moved to cities
in search of work, and there became a need for common languages. Usually, the one that would emerge as the
most common language would be the one associated with strong, often international economies that people
wanted to trade with. Historically, the strength of the British economy around the world meant more people
were speaking English. More recently, the economic power of the USA has continued to push the status of the
English language. This has led to the rise of English as a global language. In such a situation where just a few
languages come to dominate, should we worry about the survival of other languages?

Page 1 of 4
 KOÇ UNIVERSITY – ELC SPRING 2025
(5) Some argue that losing a language is to lose more than simply its words, grammar, and pronunciation. With it,
we lose cultural knowledge and identity. To protect the language, it needs to be given a special status within a
society.
If there is no need to use a language or people have little opportunity to use it, then it will ultimately cease to
exist. Some languages already have so few speakers that the aim now is simply to record the languages
before the last speakers die. However, for minority languages with more speakers, there is much that can be
done to enable their survival.

(6) During the Industrial Revolution, many English speakers moved to Wales and rarely learned Welsh. As a result,
living amongst two languages became normal. Between 1891 and 1961, the percentage of Welsh speakers fell
from just under 50% to 26%. By the 1960s, many considered the Welsh language to be under threat.
Consequently, the Welsh Language Society was founded to protect the language. Due to its campaigning and the
actions of other groups, Welsh has reestablished itself and was granted the status of an official language.
Education from nursery to college is available in Welsh. Dedicated Welsh TV channels are also broadcast. Most
importantly, the trend of decline has reversed, and nearly 80% of the population now report being able to speak,
read, and write in Welsh.

(7) Languages are dying out more rapidly than ever before. However, this does not mean death is certain. With the
right support, it is possible for languages that are under threat to survive.

Source: Skillful 3 Reading & Writing Unit 7 “Survival” Reading 1 Second Edition

Questions 1-4: Match the paragraph numbers in Column A with the main ideas in Column B. Write the letter of the
main idea in the blank next to paragraph number. There is ONE (1) extra main idea in Column B.

Column A Column B
A. Language differences vary across the world, and many languages are spoken by
1. Paragraph 1_____
only a few people, which leads to their disappearance.
2. Paragraph 2 _____
B. Languages disappear due to historical, social, and economic factors, with
3. Paragraph 3 _____
commerce being a key reason.
4. Paragraph 4 ____
C. Losing a language also means losing culture, and protecting it requires special
support.
D. Many languages are disappearing as a few dominate global communication.
E. Economic power and urbanization have made English a global language,
threatening the survival of other languages.

Questions 5-13: Circle or write the correct answer. Do NOT give any extra or irrelevant information.

5. What is the main idea of the text?

a. Many languages are disappearing, but efforts can be made to save them.
b. English is becoming the most important global language.
c. People should only speak one common language for better communication.

6. According to paragraph 2, which of the following is NOT true about language diversity?

a. Some languages are spoken by very few people.

Page 2 of 4
 KOÇ UNIVERSITY – ELC SPRING 2025
b. Papua New Guinea has one of the highest numbers of languages in the world.
c. Europe has over 2,000 languages.

7. In paragraph 3, the word "diffused" is closest in meaning to:

a. Threaten
b. Spread
c. Disappear

8. According to paragraph 3, what is one major reason why languages disappear?

a. Some languages are too difficult to learn.

b. Powerful nations influence which languages people speak.
c. People prefer to speak older languages.

9. According to paragraph 4, why do some languages become dominant?

____________________________________________________________________.

10. According to paragraph 5, what happens when a language disappears?

a. People lose a part of their culture and identity.

b. People can still remember and speak it in the future.
c. It is easy to bring the language back after it disappears.

11. According to paragraph 6, what helped save the Welsh language?

a. People decided to stop speaking other languages.

b. Many English speakers moved to Wales and they learned Welsh.
c. The Welsh Language Society promoted its use.

12. In paragraph 6, the word “its” refers to______________________

13. What is the author’s attitude toward language loss?

a. Pessimistic
b. Neutral
c. Hopeful

Page 3 of 4
KOÇ UNIVERSITY – ELC SPRING 2025

Page 4 of 4