The world's rarest language, only 7 people can speak

The state of language as well as the lost culture is a problem in the Black Continent.

The Yaaku live in Kenya Valley with a population of just 4,000. But among them, there are only 7 speakers fluent and fluent in Yakunte, the national language of the Yaaku people. More depressing and worrying, these 7 people are all older than 70 years old.

There are only 7 mature and fluent speakers of Yakunte, the rarest language today.

With the use of Yakunte language getting less and less, a lot of efforts to save it have been made. One of the speakers of the language Yakunte and a Dutch researcher wrote the Yakunte dictionary in 2004. A group of people formed the Yaaku People Association in 2003, to preserve the culture. of this minority. Recently, a report showed that the French Cultural Group invested in opening language classes for Yaaku children, with 2 lessons a month.

Language Status Bong'om Certainly Dangerous Boni Probably Dangerous Burji In Danger Dahalo Very Dangerous Elmolo Extinct Kinare Extinct Kore Extinct Lorkoti Absolute Omotik Extremely Dangerous Ongamo Extreme Sogoo Dangerous Sogoo Extinct Suba In danger Yaaku is extinct

Believed to be from Ethiopia, the Yaaku have built their lives in Mukogodo Forest, west of Mount Kenya, more than a hundred years ago. The Yaaku (meaning "hunting people" in the native language) learned how to raise bees and to trade goods with the country of Maasai, the country of people specializing in animal husbandry.

Gradually they became closer to the Maasai culture, learning the Maasai language. To this day, the Yaaku people are often thought to be a small group of Maasai culture and are not officially recognized as one of the 42 ethnic groups of Kenya.

Their language, Yakunte is one of six languages ​​in Kenya listed as an extinct language by UNESCO. Meanwhile, 7 other languages ​​are ranked in danger.

The language of the African people is easily overshadowed by the fact that the Government has set up its own official languages, combined with advising people not to use indigenous languages, in hopes of easier integration.

The number of languages ​​is in the danger zone of African countries.

The disturbing parameters show that 230 languages ​​have been extinct since 1950 until now, Africa alone has 37 languages.