Your Next Language Might Just Save a World

Have you ever felt that the world we live in is getting "smaller"?

We're all using pretty much the same apps, watching the same Hollywood blockbusters, and learning the same few "international languages." It feels convenient, but it's also a little boring, isn't it? It's as if all the world's cultures have been thrown into a blender, and what comes out is a single-flavored milkshake.

But behind this "globalization milkshake," a deeper crisis is quietly unfolding.

Imagine this: all human languages are a brilliant sea of stars in the night sky. Each star represents a unique culture, a way of seeing the world, a universe filled with ancestral wisdom and stories.

English, Chinese, Spanish... these are the brightest stars in this starry expanse, visible to us every day. But within this sea of stars, there are thousands of faint yet equally beautiful stars — the languages of tribes, of ethnic minorities, of those on the brink of extinction.

Now, these stars are winking out, one by one.

When a language vanishes, we lose far more than just words. We lose the poetry written in that language, the legends that only that language can tell, the unique wisdom passed down through generations about how to live with nature, how to understand life.

Each star that goes out leaves our night sky a little darker, and the tapestry of human civilization loses a hue.

This sounds sad, doesn't it? But the good news is, we are living in an unprecedented era. Technology, once thought of as a cultural "blender," is now becoming the most powerful tool for preserving these "stars."

You, an ordinary person, don't need to be a linguist or travel to distant lands to become a guardian of these "stars." All you need is a phone.

This "star map" below compiles many apps that allow you to learn and explore these precious languages. They're like tiny spacecraft that can take you directly into cultural universes you've never even heard of.

Stars of North America

This land echoes with the voices of many ancient tribes.

• Gems in Mainstream Apps:

  • Memrise: Here you can find courses for Cherokee, Inuktitut, Lakota, and more.
  • Drops: Offers learning modules for Hawaiian.
  • Duolingo: Has launched courses for Navajo and Hawaiian.

• Dedicated Guardians:

  • The Language Conservancy: An organization dedicated to preserving Indigenous North American languages, they've developed numerous apps covering Mandan, Crow, Cheyenne, and more.
  • Ogoki Learning Systems Inc: Provides learning tools for various languages, including Ojibway, Cree, Blackfeet, and others.
  • Thornton Media Inc: Has developed apps for languages like Cree, Mohawk, Chickasaw, and more.

The Sun of Latin America

From Maya to Inca, the languages of this land are full of mystery and power.

• Treasures in Mainstream Apps:

  • Memrise: Offers courses for Yucatec Maya, Guarani, Quechua, and more.
  • Duolingo: If you switch the app language to Spanish, you can learn Guarani.

• Specialized Exploration Tools:

  • Centro Cultural de España en México: Has developed beautiful apps for Mexican Indigenous languages such as Nāhuatl, Mixteco, and others.
  • SimiDic: A powerful dictionary app supporting mutual translation between Aymara, Guarani, and Quechua.
  • Guaranglish: An interesting app focused on learning Guarani.

Waves of Australia and the Pacific

Across the vast Pacific, languages are scattered like pearls among the islands.

• Choices in Mainstream Apps:

  • uTalk: You can learn Maori, Samoan, and Fijian.
  • Drops: Also offers Maori and Samoan.
  • Master Any Language: Covers various Pacific Island languages including Maori, Samoan, Fijian, Tongan, Tahitian, and others.

• Local Voices:

  • Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages: Dedicated to preserving Indigenous languages in Victoria, Australia, they have released several related apps.
  • Wiradjuri Condobolin Corporation Limited: Focused on preserving Australia's Wiradjuri language.

This list is just the tip of the iceberg. It's not trying to tell you "which one you should learn," but rather, "look, you have so many options."

Learning an endangered language might not give you the same direct career advantages as learning English. But what it can give you is something far more precious:

• An adventure of the mind: You'll discover that the world can be described and understood in completely different ways.
• A profound connection: You'll no longer just be a tourist, but a participant and inheritor of a culture.
• A true power: Every time you learn, you're injecting light into a star that's about to go out.

This isn't just about learning; it's about connection. Imagine, after stumbling through a few phrases of an ancient language, being able to exchange a few words with one of its few remaining speakers in the world — what an incredible experience that would be?

Fortunately, current technology can even help you overcome the initial hurdles of learning. Chat apps like Lingogram have powerful AI translation built-in. They allow you to have meaningful conversations with people on the other side of the world, even if you only know how to say "hello," turning language barriers into bridges of communication.

So, the next time you feel the world is a little monotonous, consider opening your app store, and instead of downloading the hottest new game, go look for a "star" you've never heard of.

Learn to say "hello" in an ancient language, or discover a unique concept that only exists within a specific culture.

What you save might not just be a word, but an entire world. And that world, in turn, will light you up.