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language death

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language death

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Also known as language extinction

process when a language loses its last native speaker

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In linguistics, language death occurs when a language loses its last native speaker. By extension, language extinction is when the language is no longer known, including by second-language speakers, when it becomes known as an extinct language. A related term is linguicide, the forced death of a language.

The disappearance of a minor language as a result of the absorption or replacement by a major language is sometimes called "glottophagy".

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