He’s haunted by the idea of what they have learned from Western “civilization,” noting that the only villagers whom he’s ever seen beat their children are the ones who left to attend Catholic school. Ultimately, though, he cares more about the Gapuners themselves than their language. Should cultures around the world cling to languages of declining utility because we might someday find value in them? Will they really help us identify a rare plant that will someday cure cancer? After reviewing the evidence, Kulick is honest enough to admit that he doesn’t know. At the end of the book, Kulick tackles why - or even if - the reader might care that this tiny language is about to go extinct.
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