文章探讨了自然语言因母语者减少而面临灭绝的现象，有人认为应保护濒危语言，但作者认为其效用低，语言灭绝有原因且难恢复，虽认可语言灭绝前的记录工作，但认为让濒危语言存活是低效用活动，可忽略。

🧐语言灭绝现象常见，母语者减少致其后代不再使用，一些人视其为悲剧并主张保护濒危语言，但作者认为这效用很低。

😔作者认为看到自己民族语言消亡虽悲伤，但贫穷、受压迫或患可治愈疾病更可悲，且濒危语言灭绝有原因，一旦濒危很难恢复。

📝作者认可在语言灭绝前进行记录，认为此举可能提供有关人类思维的宝贵见解，但认为努力让濒危语言存活是效用低的活动，可被忽略。

Published on August 20, 2024 1:14 PM GMT

It happens regularly that a natural language goes extinct because the native speakers die off and their descendants no longer speak the language. Some people consider this a great tragedy and argue that we should preserve these endangered languages.

It seems to me that the utility of this is very low. Sure, it is sad to see your people's language die out, but it is sadder to be poor or oppressed or suffering from curable diseases.

Moreover, languages die out for a reason. Once a language becomes endangered, it seldom recovers. If we make efforts to preserve a dying language, the language will probably stay on "life support" forever.

I can see the value in documenting a language before it goes extinct, because that can potentially tell us valuable insights about the human mind. But keeping endangered languages alive seems to me a very low utility activity that we can safely ignore in favour of lower hanging Effective Altruist fruits.

Am I missing anything here?
 

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