شرکت در آزمون آنلاین زبان انگلیسی 2 - زبان انگلیسی 2 | آزمون شماره 7152

What does it mean to say a language is extinct, dead or endangered? An extinct language is a language that no longer has any speakers, while a dead language is one that is no longer the native language of any community, even if it is still in use. An endangered language is one that is likely to become extinct in the near future.

Many languages are falling out of use and being replaced by others that are more widely used in the region or nation, such as English in the U.S. or Spanish in Mexico. If the current situation does not change, these endangered languages will become extinct within the next century. Many other languages are no longer being learned by new generations of children or by new adult speakers; these languages will become extinct when their last speaker dies. In fact, dozens of languages today have only one native speaker still living, and that person’s death will mean its extinction.

Languages like Latin or Ancient Greek are considered dead because they are no longer spoken in the form in which we find them in ancient writings. But they weren’t suddenly replaced by other languages; instead, Ancient Greek slowly evolved into Modern Greek, and Latin slowly evolved into modern Italian, Spanish, French, Romanian, and other languages. In the same way, the Old English of Chaucer’s day is no longer spoken, but it has developed into Modern English.

The fate of a language can be changed in a single generation if it is no longer being learned by children. This has been true for some Yupik Eskimo communities in Alaska, where just 20 years ago all of the children spoke Yupik; today the youngest speakers of Yupik in some of these communities are in their 20s, and the children speak only English.

Latin is considered a dead language because … .

Father: Can I take my car away?

Mechanic: Sorry, it’s not ready. I … it yet.

According to the passage, which sentence is NOT true?

Jackson and his wife were … quiet on the ride home, both deeply thinking about how easy it was to be together, and Jackson enjoyed watching her drive.