A dramatic account of the rate of language extinction, and how it endangers the future of biodiversity Few people know that nearly 100 native languages once spoken in what is now California are near extinction, or that most of Australia's 250 aboriginal languages have vanished. In fact, at least half of the world's languages may die out in the next century. What has happened to these voices? Should we be alarmed about the disappearance of linguistic diversity? The authors of Vanishing Voices assert that this trend is far more than simply disturbing. Making explicit the link between language survival and environmental issues, they argue that the extinction of languages is part of the larger picture of near-total collapse of the worldwide ecosystem. Indeed, the authors contend that the struggle to preserve precious environmental resources-such as the rainforest-cannot be separated from the struggle to maintain diverse cultures, and that the causes of language death, like that of ecological destruction, lie at the intersection of ecology and politics. And while Nettle and Romaine defend the world's endangered languages, they also pay homage to the last speakers of dying tongues, such as Red Thundercloud, a Native American in South Carolina, Ned Mandrell, with whom the Manx language passed away in 1974, and Arthur Bennett, an Australian, the last person to know more than a few words of Mbabaram. In our languages lies the accumulated knowledge of humanity. Indeed, each language is a unique window on experience. Vanishing Voices is a call to preserve this resource, before it is too late.
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"Language extinction is a great tragedy for human culture and for scholarship on all things human. This fascinating book is the latest word on this important issue, containing a wealth of knowledge and wisdom. If we have the good sense to rescue the priceless legacy of linguistic diversity before it vanishes forever, Vanishing Voices will surely deserve a good part of the credit."--Steven Pinker, author of The Language Instinct and Words and Rules
"Vanishing Voices is an urgent call to arms about the impending loss of one of our great resources. Nettle and Romaine paint a breathtaking landscape that shows why so many of the world's languages are disappearing and more importantly, why it matters. They put the problem of linguistic diversity into the wider context of global biodiversity, and propose the revolutionary idea that saving endangered languages is not about dictionaries and educational programs, but about preserving the cultures and habitats of the people who speak th
About the Author
Daniel Nettle is the author The Fyem Language of Northern Nigeria and Linguistic Diversity (O.U.P.). Suzanne Romaine is Merton Professor of English Language at the University of Oxford and is the author of Language in Society: An Introduction to Sociolinguistics (O.U.P.). Vanishing Voices was awarded the 2001 Book of the Year Award from the British Association of Applied Linguistics.
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A few years ago, linguists raced to the Turkish farm village of Haci Osman to record Tevfic Esenc, a frail old man believed to be the last known speaker of the Ubykh language once spoken in he northwestern Caucasus. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
A few years ago, linguists raced to the Turkish farm village of Haci Osman to record Tevfic Esenc, a frail old man believed to be the last known speaker of the Ubykh language once spoken in he northwestern Caucasus. Read the first page
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By book maniac
Format:Paperback
What would you feel if you were the last fluent speaker of a language, say, English? We hardly pay attention to such a question; sadly, neither do most of the speakers until their languages become endangered. Anyway, history tells us that never take it for granted that the major global languages such as English will be still spoken in AD3000. If you don't believe me, take a look at this book. This book tries to explain the underlying factors that account for the insidious extinction of the world's languages. It also offers a few concrete suggestions to save the endangered languages. I almost read this book from cover to cover, and really enjoyed it.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Huw Richards
Format:Paperback
Kind of book anyone with conservation a concern should read - including animal conservationists and ecologists. Minority languages and their impending doom is discussed here.
Very readable and based on sound research this book gives you the ingnored and somtimes encouraged tradedgy of language extinction. The human story behind the loss of language is told impartially here, yet its saddness is very apparent.
What should be done to arrest the decline in language diverstity is also dicussed and the economic and ecological advantages to linguistic diverence is clearly shown.
Anyone interested in people, language, the economy and ecology will find this a facintating read. Thoroughly recomended.
Very readable and based on sound research this book gives you the ingnored and somtimes encouraged tradedgy of language extinction. The human story behind the loss of language is told impartially here, yet its saddness is very apparent.
What should be done to arrest the decline in language diverstity is also dicussed and the economic and ecological advantages to linguistic diverence is clearly shown.
Anyone interested in people, language, the economy and ecology will find this a facintating read. Thoroughly recomended.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
A truly fascinating and impassioned overview of the state of the world's languages today, which does not shrink from addressing all the issues involved. This book analyses the reasons why languages are disappearing, why it matters and what we can do about it. Upon finishing this book I felt moved and inspired by the obvious commitment and passion of the authors on this topical global issue.
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