Language loss and language gain across centuries: A view from the Arawak family

The history of Arawak languages, a major language family in South America and adjacent regions, has been marred with language extinction and loss ever since the European Conquest. Hundreds of languages have been irretrievably lost. Many extant languages across the Arawak family are highly endangered. The remarkable diversity of Arawak languages is under threat. A closer look at the development of some extant languages reveals a somewhat different picture. The world over, younger generations speak differently from older people and show deviations from the traditional norm. Innovative Tariana, from the Vaupés River Basin in north-west Amazonia, is an example of a newly evolving younger people’s variety. A new Tariana-Baniwa blended language is on the rise in one village on the Iauiarí river, off the Rio Negro in Brazil. As languages make their way into social media, new genres are on the rise. We also find attempts at language reclamation and language regeneration, through joint efforts of language communities and linguists. The emergent versions of Taino in the Dominican Republic and the USA are a case in point. How vital are the newly developed varieties? And will they be transmitted across generations? These questions are bound to remain open for now.