I see what you mean but try looking at it from this perspective; dinosaurs are extinct but we know they lived. and how do we know it? because we found fossils. So if find fossils, does that mean dinosaurs never went extinct? Or if the birds evolved from dinosaurs is a true statement, then that should mean they never went extinct, right? What I mean by "extinct" is exactly how the dictionaries define it "no longer in existence".
Interesting thoughts though. And you are right, I never thought of Excel as a programming langue if I'm honest.
I believe that language extinction occurs when it's possible to point to the last living speaker of the language, or more generally, when there is no modern version of a language.
But you are right that the person who asked the question is more likely to think of the more transitional, biological meaning.
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I see what you mean but try looking at it from this perspective; dinosaurs are extinct but we know they lived. and how do we know it? because we found fossils. So if find fossils, does that mean dinosaurs never went extinct? Or if the birds evolved from dinosaurs is a true statement, then that should mean they never went extinct, right? What I mean by "extinct" is exactly how the dictionaries define it "no longer in existence".
Interesting thoughts though. And you are right, I never thought of Excel as a programming langue if I'm honest.
Your point regarding species extinction is a good one. However, in languages, "extinct language" has a more specific meaning. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinct_language .
I believe that language extinction occurs when it's possible to point to the last living speaker of the language, or more generally, when there is no modern version of a language.
But you are right that the person who asked the question is more likely to think of the more transitional, biological meaning.
You may like this clip where Eddie Izzard goes to Friesland to "buy a brown cow" in Old English. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeC1yAaWG34