Every two weeks, another language gradually fades away. As society turns to global lingua francas, speaking primarily bridging languages like English, French, Spanish, and Mandarin, the world’s linguistic diversity depletes at an alarming rate that linguists have never experienced before. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that
Language, the most intricate system to ever be established by humankind, is constructed upon a singular element: sound. Before grammar conventions, syntax, or meaning were added to words, communication existed as a set of vibrations. Phonetics, as the study of these vibrations, systematically analyzes how certain speech sounds are produced,
What is the true purpose of language? Is it merely a form of communication? The concept of language encompasses a wide range of factors that are deeply tied to identity, culture, and history. Each word represents generations of stories that constitute a historical string of memories. Despite the preserving nature