New york city is considered to be the most linguistically diverse city in the world, with languages that are from other parts of the world now commonly heard in NY than anywhere else. According to Daniel Kaufman Professor of linguistics at the city university of New York " It is the capital of language density in the world". Professor Kaufman has helped start a project, the Endangered Language Alliance to identify and record dying languages like Husni Husain's in Rego Park Queens, he speaks mamuju and Ormuri which is spoken by a small number of people in Pakistan and Afganistan. Professor Kaufman is concerned that a language will proberly disappear in a generation or two when the population of native speakers has become to small or died out. Like Mrs. Smilovic who speaks vlashki, she say's that she is also worried that her culture is getting lost, but with an organized meeting in Queens she was surprised by the turnout of about 100 people who speaks the vlashki language. Furthermore several languages have been found right here in NYC and it is trying to be saved by its spaekers. They are teaching their children this identity that can live on because for others they believe that it might be a waste of time trying to save a dying language that is not spoken here. English and Spanish is as far as they're concerned according to Mr. Lovell from Belize, he speaks a langauge called garifuna. Like him who try's to teach his younger daughters through songs Rev. Eli Shabo also teaches his children neo-aramaic at home with high hopes and intentions that their language, roots, culture will live on, even when they die.
In reading this article I am amazed in knowing that people with all these variants of languages reside right here in my neighborhood, I would never think that in seeing a person in the store or train that they could be one of the few speakers of a very rare language. Yes I know New York City is linguistically diverse but I must admit that before reading this article it never once crossed my imagination to think that people out here are trying to save their languages, literally by teaching their children, through groups and organizations, this is indeed a serious topic. I believe that although most of us come to this city for a better future,life, a better chance at our dreams, what we"v been taught will forever remain with us, it is our tradition and roots to remember and then in turn to pass it on to our children. In this case theses people feel a need to stay connected with their language in honor of passing it on, for they might be the last to know of it. It has become a part of who they are now and without its existence it might seem like they never existed.
Samantha, You've really capture just how meaningful one's language can be to someone--especially someone who doesn't have a lot of people to speak with! Imagine always having to express yourself in a language that's not your own? Whenever you would meet someone who did speak your language, it would probably feel like a family member or someone from a secret society.
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