The Last Speakers : The Quest to Save the World's Most Endangered Languages

Amazon.com Review From The Last Speakers Click on the photos below to open larger images. Photo by K. David Harrison Photo by Kelly J. Richardson Photo by Chris Rainier Photo by Chris Rainier Photo by Gregory Anderson Photo by Chris Rainier Photo by Chris Rainier Photo by Kelly J. Richardson From Parallel to the extinction of biological species in our world, human languages are disappearing one by one. These tongues originated over millennia inside geographically isolated communities for whom modern methods of transportation and communication have proven mixed blessings. Harrison details the work of linguists who are speeding to preserve these tongues for posterity. He travels to Siberia to meet Aunt Marta, one of the last speakers of Tofa, a Turkic tongue. Although a scientist and a rigorous analyst of language grammars and structures, Harrison is particularly intrigued by the personalities of these mostly elderly yet fully engaged people who bravely face the end of what has been a nurturing society. Harrison compellingly details reasons why the rest of the world ought to care about these vanishing languages and what can be done to ensure that they live on despite the irresistible ascendancy of today’s rapidly evolving world culture. --Mark Knoblauch Amazon.com Review From The Last Speakers Click on the photos below to open larger images. Photo by K. David Harrison Photo by Kelly J. Richardson Photo by Chris Rainier Photo by Chris Rainier Photo by Gregory Anderson Photo by Chris Rainier Photo by Chris Rainier Photo by Kelly J. Richardson From Parallel to the extinction of biological species in our world, human languages are disappearing one by one. These tongues originated over millennia inside geographically isolated communities for whom modern methods of transportation and communication have proven mixed blessings. Harrison details the work of linguists who are speeding to preserve these tongues for posterity. He travels to Siberia to meet Aunt Marta, one of the last speakers of Tofa, a Turkic tongue. Although a scientist and a rigorous analyst of language grammars and structures, Harrison is particularly intrigued by the personalities of these mostly elderly yet fully engaged people who bravely face the end of what has been a nurturing society. Harrison compellingly details reasons why the rest of the world ought to care about these vanishing languages and what can be done to ensure that they live on despite the irresistible ascendancy of today鈥檚 rapidly evolving world culture. --Mark Knoblauch General,Social Science,Language Arts & Disciplines,Linguistics,Linguistic minorities,Endangered languages,Linguistic change,Language attrition,Minority Studies,Anthropology,Cultural,Sociolinguistics,Language maintenance,Historical & Comparative Part Travelogue And Part Scientist's Notebook, The Last Speakers Is The Poignant Chronicle Of Author K. David Harrison's Expeditions Around The World To Meet With Last Speakers Of Vanishing Languages. The Speakers' Eloquent Reflections And Candid Photographs Reveal Little-known Lifeways As Well As Revitalization Efforts To Teach Disappearing Languages To Younger Generations. Thought-provoking And Engaging, This Unique Book Illuminates The Global Language-extinction Crisis Through Photos, Graphics, Interviews, Traditional Wisdom Never Before Translated Into English, And First-person Essays That Thrillingly Convey The Adventure Of Science And Exploration. - Publisher. Becoming A Linguist -- Siberia Calling -- The Power Of Words -- Where The Hotspots Are -- Finding Hidden Languages -- Six Degrees Of Language -- How Do Stories Survive? -- Breaking Out In Song -- When A World Is Running Down -- Saving Languages. K. David Harrison. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 281-293) And Index. Part travelogue and part scientist's notebook, The Last Speakers is the poignant chronicle of author K. David Harrison's expeditions around the world to meet with last speakers of vanishing languages. The speakers'eloquent reflections and candid photographs reveal little-known lifeways as well as revitalization efforts to teach disappearing languages to younger generations. Thought-provoking and engaging, this unique book illuminates the global language extinction crisis through photos, graphics, interviews, traditional wisdom never before translated into English, and first-person essays that thrillingly convey the adventure of science and exploration.