IINGXOXOBUNZULULWAZI ZASEAFRIKA NGOKUFA KOLWIMI: IZIZATHU NEENDLELA ZOKUKHAWULELANA NOKUFA KOLWIMI. (Xhosa)

Language extinction is not an idiosyncratic phenomenon as languages have unremittingly perished over centuries and continue to approach death - this denotes endangerment. Dialects are no exception to this. The reason for this challenge can be pinned on many factors such as politics, the economy and many other contributory determinants. Among these determinants, socioeconomic and sociopolitical occurrences are the dominating factors. What this article theoretically contests is that while languages have been perishing, the scrutinisation of language death is fairly new and for that reason, it stands to reason that scholarly investigations be undertaken in a bid to underscore challenges that exist around this phenomenon. Africa, in particular, has been largely affected by language death including some dialects due to colonialism and a compromised economy. Notably, language extinction in Africa has been predominantly caused by socioeconomic and sociopolitical influences, and in the current milieu, vestigial elements of colonialism exhibit aversion. Thus, the relevance and significance of this scholarly discourse rest on the reality that Africa is the most relevant continent for the study of language death given that it has continuously suffered language subjugation. Nevertheless, there seems to be less investigation around this subject. It is in the African context that reasonable predictions about language death can be generated today and tomorrow. Among other components, this scholarly discourse illustrates that it is not a matter of languages dying. Instead, this challenge affects Indigenous African Knowledge Systems (IAKS), identity and culture that is deeply ingrained in these languages. As one would recall, there is a direct interrelationship between language and culture. For instance, certain things can be conceptualised and contextualised through one's language. When one speaks of ulwaluko (amaXhosa traditional and customary male circumcision), for instance, it is the speakers of the isiXhosa language that can pragmatically comprehend the cultural significant meaning of ulwaluko beyond the superficial level. As a result of this, it is logical that language death is the death of people, and the death of people is the death of their language. There is a close interrelationship between language and people, and these two fragments are dependent. This article further demonstrates that language is either safe or approaching extinction or is extinct. This is significant to mention as it assists the government and scholars or policymakers in making meticulous decisions while attempting to develop languages through policies and governance. It is interesting to also note that, while the classification of different languages is made, the English language is considered safe as there is no empirical evidence that it would die. Comparatively, languages whose economy is relatively poor can be considered as languages that would extinct if no urgent action is taken. The initiation of this article is induced by a shred of shocking evidence that in the next century, 30% of the world's languages would have died. This does not exclude dialects that are embedded in these languages. In essence, there will not be any community that speaks these languages. It is still unclear which languages would have died but this article proposes and accepts that languages with a poor economy, heavy political violence and an education system that does not prioritise the learning and development of languages are at a high risk of dying out first. The scholarly significance of this article is mentioned. First, the contents of the article are written in the isiXhosa language adding yet another dimension to the development of indigenous languages at a scholarly level. Last, existing literature suggests that there is less investigation into the causes and discourses surrounding language extinction. Therefore, this article ought to be viewed and accepted as an attempt that adds innovative insights into knowledge creation. The concluding remarks indicate that there is a necessity for scholars to channel their attention to language death and begin to provide reasonable solutions to safeguard and develop the languages of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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