Community languages under threat due to lack of support

A new report is warning the loss of languages in the second and third generations of migrant communities could threaten economies and communities. The report asks the question, "What are languages worth?"

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If support for community languages isn't strengthened, the economic, social, and cultural advantages multilingualism brings to Australia will decline. The warning is contained in a new report: 'What are languages worth? Community languages for the future of New South Wales' - a joint publication from Macquarie University's Multilingualism Research Group and the New South Wales Federation of Community Language Schools. The report says the main threat to the future of community languages - and to Australia more broadly - is the loss of languages in the second and third generations of migrant communities.