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When a language loses its last fluent speakers, far more disappears than vocabulary. Many endangered languages encode detailed local knowledge, such as the names and uses of plants, the timing of seasons, or methods of navigation refined over generations. Linguists working with remaining speakers now race to record stories, songs, and everyday conversation before that knowledge fades. Crucially, the most successful efforts are led by the communities themselves, who decide what to document and how it may be shared. Outsiders can supply recording tools and training, but a language usually survives only when younger members have real reasons to keep speaking it.