A) Complete the sentences with the words and word combinations from the box

Yesterday, at its ________________ (1) in Paris, UNESCO unveiled its first comprehensive and online database of the world's endangered tongues. According to its team of specialists, there are around 2,500 languages at risk, including more than 500 considered “critically endangered” and 199 which have fewer than 10 ______________________. (2)

“We as human beings should care about this in the same way as we should care about the loss of the world's _____________ (3) of plants and animals, its biodiversity,” said Christopher Moseley, editor-in-chief of the Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger. “Because each language is a uniquely structured world of thought, with its own associations, metaphors, ways of thinking, vocabulary, sound system and grammar – all working together in a marvelous architectural structure which is so _____________ (4) that it could easily be lost forever.”

The modern world plays its part. A once healthy language dies because its speakers shift _________________ (5) to that of a bigger, more powerful group of people, and, while this can happen through political pressure and military force, it is now most often brought about by the _______________ (6) of migration from the country to the city. Perhaps unsurprisingly, two of the countries where the risk is greatest are India and Brazil, which are undergoing rapid economic transformations. “These trends often bring about the loss of traditional ways of life and a strong pressure to speak a _________________ (7) language that is – or is perceived to be – necessary for full civic participation and economic ___________________ (8),” said UNESCO.

Other factors in a language's ______________ (9) range from the community's own lack of pride in its __________________ (10) or a sudden rash of deaths of native speakers to the spread of so-called “killer” languages such as English, French or Spanish. But amid the gloom, there is some hope. A growing awareness of the need to save natural ____________________ (11) has given an extra boost to the preservation movement. “Linguists are for the first time _____________ (12) of just how many languages there are in the world and are coming to a better understanding of the forces that are attacking them and of ways to control those forces,” said Moseley.

The world is seeing revival movements. Inspired by ___________________ (13) successes of the 20th century – chiefly the renaissance of Hebrew as Israel's ________________________ (14) but also the reclaiming of Welsh, Catalan and Breton – tribes and communities in the _______________________ (15) corners of the globe are fighting for the right to converse as their ancestors did.