Language extinction has been a feature of the 20th century - it is expected that a language will become extinct every two weeks of the the 21st century. Will languages continue to die out? If so, must culture continue to become more impoverished? Everybody who takes an interest in our cultural future needs to ask these questions. This book should assist in this endeavour by exploring the life cycle of languages: their birth, their interaction and - especially - what happens when they die.