言語のライフサイクル Emergence and Death of Languages
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- 日本語
- English
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現在、話者数が100人を下まわる言語は、世界に約400あります。二言語（以上）が使用されている社会では、そのうちのひとつの話者数が少なくなり使用が絶え、消滅することがあります。手話言語では、音声言語に比べ、出現と消滅がより頻繁に起こります。聴覚障害者が人口の3%を超えると、視覚による伝達方法が発達し始めると言われており、聴覚障害者がいなくなると消滅します。
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There are currently about 400 languages in the world with fewer than 100 speakers. In societies where two or more languages are used, the number of speakers of one of these languages may decline to the point where it is no longer used and may even disappear. In sign languages, the appearance and disappearance of languages is more frequent than in spoken languages. It is said that when the number of hearing impaired people exceeds 3% of the population, visual communication methods begin to develop, and when there are no more hearing impaired people, the language disappears.
In the village of Kata Kolok, Indonesia where the percentage of deaf people has been high for seven generations, naturally occurring sign language is the common language of the villagers, deaf and hearing alike.
写真提供：コニー・ドゥボス
Photo by Connie De Bos