Investigating Obsolescence: Studies in Language Contraction and Death (Studies in the Social and Cultural Foundations of Language, Series Number 7) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 052132405X ISBN 13: 9780521324052

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1989

Synopsis

Over the past 500 years, half the known languages of the world have vanished. This comprehensive overview of the study of contracting and dying languages, composed of twenty essays, investigates the wide scope of languages currently under threat of extinction. These disappearances occur in diverse speech communities where the expanding languages are both familiar, such as English or Spanish, and less familiar, such as Swedish, Thai and Arabic. The volume concludes with a look at how research into language obsolescence may affect other aspects of linguistics and anthropology--first and second language acquisition, historical linguistics, the study of pidgins and creoles, language and social process.

About this title

Book Description

Over the past 500 years, half the known languages of the world have vanished. This comprehensive overview of contracting and dying languages, investigates the broad scope currently under threat of extinction.

Review

"It is an interesting, provocative, and generally well-written book, and it is certainly time that we knew more about what happens to languages when they die....The book is very well planned, and suggests a model for other collections." Language

"It is only fitting that a preeminent pioneer in language obsolescence studies--Nancy Dorian--should be the editor of this impressive set of essays devoted exclusively to the topic of contracting languages....this data-rich collection of essays has succeeded in outlining the boundaries of a dynamic and relatively new arena of socio-linguistic research, has posed numerous, sometimes perplexing, questions about the very definition of 'a language' or 'a speaker,' has documented problems and trouble spots to beware of in carrying out research on contracting languages, has offered an inventory of traits--linguistic and social--that one may expect to encounter in such research situations, and has brought into relief both widespread and particular aspects of languages in retreat. I would expect it to become a classic text in this rapidly developing field of interdisciplinary research." Lenora A. Timm, Word

"In her preface Dorian states that the primary goal of the book is to put researchers interested in language death in touch with one another and to disseminate basic information about the field. As a valuable overview of research on dying languages, Investigating Obsolescence accomplishes these goals admirably....a fascinating piece of scholarship on many counts....It is both a stepping stone and a milestone--a stepping stone because it promotes the field's advancement by giving an overview of important research, a milestone because it establishes a more coherent agenda in a disparate and still emerging field." Carl S. Blyth, Anthropological Linguistics

"This well-documented book serves best as a starting point for further research. Recommended for academic and larger public libraries." Library Journal

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1989
• ISBN 10: 052132405X
• ISBN 13: 9780521324052
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 460
• Editor: Dorian Nancy C.