extinct language

An extinct language is one that is no longer spoken by any living person. Languages can die out gradually as speakers become bilingual and their native tongue fades, often in pursuit of social or economic advantages or to avoid discrimination. This process has been accelerated by modernity and globalization, pressuring people to adopt dominant languages for government, commerce, and technology.1

Languages can also disappear rapidly due to disasters or war, as seen with indigenous languages in El Salvador after a massacre. While many languages become extinct, some are revived, with Hebrew being a prominent example of a language brought back into common use. The Dalmatian language, formerly spoken along the coast of Croatia, is another example of an extinct Romance language.12