Questions for discussion 1.What is the author's attitude towards the languages on the verge of extinction? 2.Why shall we compare languages to the window upon the world? 3.Do you support linguistic diversity or homogeneity?And why? 4.A small group of scholars,students and local residents of Shanghai are standing up to save their dialect,which traces its roots to one of China's oldest spoken languages,from extinction. Shanghaiese,like many of the estimated 80 other local dialects spoken in China,is endangered by the government's pro-Mandarin policy.What is your attitude toward preserving local dialects?If you are a language preserver,what ideas have you of protecting them from extinction? 5.Please work with peers and record some Chinese local dialectsQuestions for discussion 1. What is the author’s attitude towards the languages on the verge of extinction? 2. Why shall we compare languages to the window upon the world? 3. Do you support linguistic diversity or homogeneity? And why? 4. A small group of scholars, students and local residents of Shanghai are standing up to save their dialect, which traces its roots to one of China’s oldest spoken languages, from extinction. Shanghaiese, like many of the estimated 80 other local dialects spoken in China, is endangered by the government’s pro-Mandarin policy. What is your attitude toward preserving local dialects? If you are a language preserver, what ideas have you of protecting them from extinction? 5. Please work with peers and record some Chinese local dialects