Endangered Languages
An Introduction

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

Sarah G. Thomason (Author)

9780521865739, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 23 April 2015

242 pages, 1 map
25.4 x 17.8 x 1.9 cm, 0.59 kg

'… a clear and comprehensive introduction to the varied research being conducted on endangered languages, and with the focus on introducing aspects of fieldwork and methods involved, this work will hopefully pique the interest of many linguistics students to respectfully and thoughtfully engage in documentary and descriptive work that will benefit endangered language communities.' Jenanne Ferguson, Linguist List

Most of the 7,000 languages spoken in the world today will vanish before the end of this century, taking with them cultural traditions from all over the world, as well as linguistic structures that would have improved our understanding of the universality and variability of human language. This book is an accessible introduction to the topic of language endangerment, answering questions such as: what is it? How and why does it happen? Why should we care? The book outlines the various causes of language endangerment, explaining what makes a language 'safe', and highlighting the danger signs that threaten a minority language. Readers will learn about the consequences of losing a language, both for its former speech community and for our understanding of human language. Illustrated with case studies, it describes the various methods of documenting endangered languages, and shows how they can be revitalised.

1. Introduction
2. Why and how languages become endangered
3. Sliding into dormancy: social processes and linguistic effects
4. What a community loses: language loss as cultural loss
5. What science loses: language loss as a threat to our understanding of human history, human cognition, and the natural world
6. Field research on endangered languages
7. Language preservation and revitalization.

Subject Areas: Sociology & anthropology [JH], Linguistics [CF], Language: history & general works [CBX], Language [C]