The survival of an endangered language may depend on two people
— and all they want to do is ignore each other. Manuel Segovia
and Isidro Velazquez, the last speakers of a language called
Ayapaneco, live less than half a mile away from each other in
Ayapa, Mexico. But no matter how precious the cultural
implications of keeping their language alive are, they are not
going to speak to each other. (MORE: Why Some Languages Sound So
Fast) The Guardian notes that “it is not clear whether there is
a long-buried argument behind their mutual avoidance, but people
who know them say they have never really enjoyed each other’s
company.” Ayapaneco is one of many dozens of indigenous
languages remaining in Mexico. Perhaps the most extreme case, it
managed to survive the Spanish conquest in Mexico. Sixty-eight
native languages are still in use today, although a handful are
on the verge of extinction. (WATCH: How Animals Learn Language)
Regardless, linguists are still attempting to preserve the
language despite the lack of