At least half of the seven thousand or so languages spoken today
are in danger of disappearing during the 21st century. Although
languages have always come and gone, the current rate of language
extinction is unprecedented, a loss which not only affects
individual communities but also diminishes the world's linguistic
heritage. This crisis has stimulated a variety of responses from
linguists: sociolinguists have been concerned with the study of
language revitalisation how the tendency to shift away from
minority languages can be reversed while general linguists have
paid more attention to the structural aspects of language
endangerment how languages change as they fall into disuse. In
recent years linguists have been particularly concerned with
language documentation the activity of recording, annotating,
translating and archiving audiovisual materials of languages before
they are lost. In addition, all linguists working on endangered
languages face the ethical question of how much effort they should
devote to non-academic activities in support of the communities
with whom they work.
The study of language endangerment has only really become a
concern of mainstream linguistics in the past twenty years, and
this four-volume collection is the first of its kind, bringing
together research on language endangerment from leading scholars.
Theoretical and practical responses by linguists have led to the
emergence of the linguistic sub-fields of language documentation
and language revitalisation, and most of the publications within
them date from just the last ten years. There has however been a
veritable flood of books and articles during this time, and an
enormous flowering of interest both within academia and in the
wider community as well. Twenty years ago an extensive collection
on this topic could not have been put together.
A general introduction by the editors gives an overview of the
history of research on endangered languages and the main issues
faced by scholars of language endangerment today, while specific
volume introductions detail the research context for the individual
articles. Endangered Languages is an essential one-stop work of
reference and will be appreciated by researchers and students of
language endangerment and related disciplines.
General
Imprint: |
Routledge
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Series: |
Critical Concepts in Linguistics |
Release date: |
August 2011 |
First published: |
2009 |
Editors: |
Peter K. Austin
• Stuart McGill
|
Dimensions: |
234 x 156mm (L x W) |
Format: |
Hardcover
• Hardcover
• Hardcover
• Hardcover
|
Pages: |
1738 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-415-43843-8 |
Categories: |
Books >
Language & Literature >
Language & linguistics >
General
|
LSN: |
0-415-43843-8 |
Barcode: |
9780415438438 |
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