Which statement best defines a severely endangered language?

Which statement best defines a severely endangered language?

• A. A language with very few speakers and little intergenerational transmission
• B. A language with extensive use across generations and regions
• C. A dead language with no living speakers
• D. A language with official status in a country

Answer: (A)

Severely endangered refers to a language that still has speakers, but only a small number remain and children are not learning it as their first language. The crucial sign is the lack of intergenerational transmission—the language isn’t being passed down to the next generation, so its long-term survival is at high risk. The statement describing very few speakers and little intergenerational transmission is the best fit because it directly captures this situation of imminent language loss. The other ideas describe different situations: a language with widespread use across generations is healthy and not endangered; a dead language has no living speakers at all, which is extinct rather than severely endangered; and having official status doesn’t by itself indicate how many people actually speak or transmit the language to children.

Severely endangered refers to a language that still has speakers, but only a small number remain and children are not learning it as their first language. The crucial sign is the lack of intergenerational transmission—the language isn’t being passed down to the next generation, so its long-term survival is at high risk. The statement describing very few speakers and little intergenerational transmission is the best fit because it directly captures this situation of imminent language loss.

The other ideas describe different situations: a language with widespread use across generations is healthy and not endangered; a dead language has no living speakers at all, which is extinct rather than severely endangered; and having official status doesn’t by itself indicate how many people actually speak or transmit the language to children.