Akaley Puckett

Professor Zicherman
UWRT 1101
10 November 2014
Dreams From Endangered Cultures
Language has always been seen as just a way for people to communicate with each other,
whether it is verbally or silently. It varies not only throughout different countries, but also within
those countries. The world is full of language and it no longer is specific to a certain place in the
world. Language is one of the biggest components of culture, it makes a person distinct,
even if they speak more than one language. I agree with Wade Davis, we are experiencing
an ethnocide and we are forgetting languages, causing them to die when they are a huge
part of a culture.
In high school, I dreaded taking a foreign language because I knew that I had to.
However, once I took it I realized that it was so different from my native language, but it was eye
opening to see that others communicate in such a different way than I am used to. It is hard to
wrap your head around the fact that humans can communicate is so many different ways, but
once you do, you see how amazing it is. Davis claims that language is a flash of the human
spirit, which really tells one how important language is to a human being and their culture.
Language is showing where a person comes from or even what they stand for. Davis points out
that there were 6,000 languages spoken when everyone in the room was born, many of them not
being passed onto children today. Language is becoming dead and unappreciated because people
no longer realize how valuable it is to the world. Languages are becoming extinct in reaction to
them not being passed onto children and being practiced and appreciated like they should be. A
lot of this is because of the idea that the world would be a better place if everyone spoke the

same language. However, everyone speaking the same language is never going to happen. It is
impossible to have everyone speak the same language because of the evolution of how a
language is made and also because of the distance between so many groups of people. What
could be more lonely than to be enveloped in silence, to be the last of your people to speak your
language, to have no way to pass on the wisdom of the ancestors or anticipate the promise of the
children? (Davis). This quote from Davis speech, in my opinion, effectively shows the issue of
ethnocide and the problems associated with it. People not appreciating language the way the
should causes it to fade away without anything or anyone to keep it alive. We should all
celebrate the beauty of language and the different cultures and characteristics it envelops.
Language is a major part of culture, and without it, many cultures wouldnt be as unique.
I agree with Wade Davis, ethnocide is happening all around the world and many of us
arent even aware of it. I think that everyone needs a better understanding and awareness of the
different cultures in the world. We take these cultures and the languages within them so lightly
that they are becoming forgotten. We are pushing language out of this world, when it is one of
the most unique things about human life.