Final answer:
A language begins to become extinct when it is no longer spoken by any living person. Approximately 40% of the world's languages are in danger of dying out in the next hundred years. Efforts are being made to preserve and revitalize endangered languages.
Step-by-step explanation:
A language begins to become extinct when it is no longer spoken by any living person. Roughly 40% of the approximately 7,000 languages spoken in the world today are in danger of dying out in the next hundred years. Languages can become endangered or dormant through processes such as colonialism, imperialism, and assimilation. However, there are efforts being made to revitalize and preserve endangered languages through language revitalization programs.