Language shifts occur when a culture changes its primary language, often due to globalization or education. Endangered languages are at risk of extinction, and factors such as isolation and cultural ties can affect language retention. Efforts to revive endangered languages have been made, and immigrant populations may also experience language shifts.
A language switch occurs when people in a particular culture or subculture change the primary language they use for communication. This can happen mainly in two ways: if indigenous languages have been replaced with regional or global languages or if the language of immigrant populations has been replaced with the dominant language of the host country. When there are no more native speakers of a language, it is considered dead or extinct. As of 2011, linguists estimate that at least half of the world’s 5,000 languages are considered endangered due to globalization.
The most common way for a language shift to occur is through formal instruction in a more dominant language. For example, as indigenous peoples in Central America have increasing access to education, they are more likely to be fluent in Spanish. The first language may continue to be used in the home for a period of time, but gradually Spanish may replace the indigenous language for education and business. Within a few generations, the first language may no longer be used even in private settings, leading to a linguistic shift.
A number of factors can combine to make a language change more or less likely. In general, the fewer people who speak a language, the more likely its speakers will find it necessary to learn regional or global languages to get by in an interconnected society. On the other hand, if a group of people is particularly isolated, such as on a small group of islands or deep in the rainforest, they may have a better chance of retaining their language since they have less interaction with others.
Stronger cultural ties between speakers of a language also reduce the likelihood of a complete change occurring. Tamil speakers in Malaysia, for example, have largely retained their own language due to cultural and religious differences with their Malay-speaking neighbours. Tamil speakers may learn Malay or English in schools, but are generally unlikely to intermarry or culturally assimilate with the wider Malay cultural group.
There have been efforts in many areas to revive endangered languages after a shift or to prevent shifts all together. Gaelic was reintroduced into Irish schools, bringing about a small revival of the language in the mid to late 20th century. In other areas, primary education may take place in a local or indigenous language, to encourage speakers to consolidate knowledge of their native language before learning the dominant language of the area.
Language shifts can also occur among immigrant populations in much the same way as indigenous populations. Children of immigrants are educated in a second language, and the first language can gradually fall out of favor as immigrants become more adapted to the surrounding culture. However, the more immigrants from a given area, the less likely this is to happen. In the United States, for example, many successive generations may continue to speak Spanish as having a large Spanish-speaking community makes it easier to maintain the language.
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