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Kia kaua te reo e rite ki te moa, ka ngaro: do not let the language suffer the same fate as the moa.

ABSTRACT: More than a third of the world's languages are currently classified as endangered and more than half are expected to go extinct by 2100. Strategies aimed at revitalizing endangered languages have been implemented in numerous countries, with varying degrees of success. Here, we develop a new model regarding language transmission by dividing the population into defined proficiency categories and dynamically quantifying transition rates between categories. The model can predict changes in proficiency levels over time and, ultimately, whether a given endangered language is on a long-term trajectory towards extinction or recovery. We calibrate the model using data from Wales and show that the model predicts that the Welsh language will thrive in the long term. We then apply the model to te reo M?ori, the indigenous language of New Zealand, as a case study. Initial conditions for this model are estimated using New Zealand census data. We modify the model to describe a country, such as New Zealand, where the endangered language is associated with a particular subpopulation representing the indigenous people. We conclude that, with current learning rates, te reo M?ori is on a pathway towards extinction, but identify strategies that could help restore it to an upward trajectory.

SUBMITTER: Barrett-Walker T

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7014795 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Kia kaua te reo e rite ki te moa, ka ngaro: do not let the language suffer the same fate as the moa.

Barrett-Walker Tessa T Plank Michael J MJ Ka'ai-Mahuta Rachael R Hikuroa Daniel D James Alex A

Journal of the Royal Society, Interface 20200108 162

More than a third of the world's languages are currently classified as endangered and more than half are expected to go extinct by 2100. Strategies aimed at revitalizing endangered languages have been implemented in numerous countries, with varying degrees of success. Here, we develop a new model regarding language transmission by dividing the population into defined proficiency categories and dynamically quantifying transition rates between categories. The model can predict changes in proficien ...[more]

PMID: 31910777

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Project description:ObjectivesSerum testosterone (T) levels in men decline with age. Low T levels are associated with sarcopenia and frailty in men aged >80 years. T levels have not previously been directly associated with disability in older men. We explored associations between T levels, frailty and disability in a cohort of octogenarian men.SettingData from all men from Life and Living in Advanced Age Cohort Study in New Zealand, a longitudinal cohort study in community-dwelling older adults.ParticipantsCommunity-dwelling (>80 years) adult men excluding those receiving T treatment or with prostatic carcinoma.Outcomes measuresAssociations between baseline total testosterone (TT) and calculated free testosterone (fT), frailty (Fried scale) and disability (Nottingham Extended Activities of Daily Living scale (NEADL)) (baseline and 24?months) were examined using multivariate regression and Wald's ?2 techniques. Subjects with the lowest quartile of baseline TT and fT values were compared with those in the upper three quartiles.ResultsParticipants: 243 men, mean (SD) age 83.7 (2.0) years. Mean (SD) TT=17.6 (6.8) nmol/L and fT=225.3 (85.4) pmol/L. On multivariate analyses, lower TT levels were associated with frailty: ?=0.41, p=0.017, coefficient of determination (R2)=0.10?and disability (NEADL) (?=-1.27, p=0.017, R2=0.11), low haemoglobin (?=-7.38, p=0.0016, R2=0.05), high fasting glucose (?=0.38, p=0.038, R2=0.04) and high C reactive protein (CRP) (?=3.57, p=0.01, R2=0.06). Low fT levels were associated with frailty (?=0.39, p=0.024, R2=0.09) but not baseline NEADL (?=-1.29, p=0.09, R2=0.09). Low fT was associated with low haemoglobin (?=-7.83, p=0.0008, R2=0.05) and high CRP (?=2.86, p=0.04, R2=0.05). Relationships between baseline TT and fT, and 24-month outcomes of disability and frailty were not significant.ConclusionsIn men over 80 years, we confirm an association between T levels and baseline frailty scores. The new finding of association between T levels and disability is potentially relevant to debates on T supplementation in older men, though, as associations were not present at 24 months, further work is needed.

Dataset Information

Kia kaua te reo e rite ki te moa, ka ngaro: do not let the language suffer the same fate as the moa.

Publications

Kia kaua te reo e rite ki te moa, ka ngaro: do not let the language suffer the same fate as the moa.

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