Attitudes To Endangered Languages

An in-depth study of endangered language revitalisation, which assesses the implications of changing language attitudes for language campaigners and policy-makers.

An in-depth study of endangered language revitalisation, which assesses the implications of changing language attitudes for language campaigners and policy-makers.

Written by leading international scholars and activists, this guidebook provides ideas and strategies to support language revitalization.

An introduction to language endangerment. What is it? How and why does it happen? Why should we care?

It is generally agreed that about 7,000 languages are spoken across the world today and at least half may no longer be spoken by the end of this century. This state-of-the-art Handbook examines the reasons behind this dramatic loss of linguistic diversity, why it matters, and what can be done to document and support endangered languages. The volume is relevant not only to researchers in language endangerment, language shift and language death, but to anyone interested in the languages and cultures of the world. It is accessible both to specialists and non-specialists: researchers will find cutting-edge contributions from acknowledged experts in their fields, while students, activists and other interested readers will find a wealth of readable yet thorough and up-to-date information.

Language endangerment is now accepted as an important issue of our times, but it is sometimes misrepresented as a problem just for the speaker communities, and not for the wider societies which surround and often penetrate them. In this conference, we want to focus on the impacts that minority languages make on those outside, whether deliberately - through raising their voices - or implicitly, through the images that they give out to outsiders. What messages do endangered languages send to the wider world? These voices and images may play vital roles in the formation of language attitudes. -- relates to conference itself. No other information found for this title."

Provides an overview of the issues surrounding language loss.

Language endangerment has been the focus of much attention and as a result, a wide range of people are working to revitalize and maintain local languages. This book serves as a general reference guide to language revitalization, written not only for linguists and anthropologists, but also for language activists and community members who believe they should ensure the future use of their languages, despite their predicted loss. Drawing extensively on case studies, it sets out the necessary background and highlights central issues such as literacy, policy decisions, and allocation of resources. Its primary goal is to provide the essential tools for a successful language revitalization program, such as setting and achieving realistic goals, and anticipating and resolving common obstacles. Clearly written and informative, Saving Languages will be an invaluable resource for all those interested in the fate of small language communities around the globe.