Synopsis:
With world-wide environmental destruction and globalization of economy, a few languages, especially English, are spreading rapidly in use, while thousands of other languages are disappearing, taking with them important cultural, philosophical and environmental knowledge systems and oral literatures. We all stand to suffer from such a loss, none more so than the communities whose very identity is being threatened by the impending death of their languages. In response to this crisis, indigenous communities around the world have begun to develop a myriad of projects to keep their languages alive. This volume is a set of detailed accounts about the kind of work that is going on now as people struggle for their linguistic survival. It also serves as a manual of effective practices in language revitalization.
Key Features
* Includes 23 case studies of language revitalization in practice, from Native American languages, Australian languages, Maori, Hawaiian, Welsh, Irish, and others, written primarily by authors directly involved in the programs
* Short introductions situate the languages, to help make the languages more "real" in the minds of readers
* Each chapter gives a detailed overview of the various kinds of programs and methods in practice today
* Introductions and maps for each of the languages represented familiarize the reader with their history, linguistic structure and sociolinguistic features
* Strong representation in authorship and viewpoint of the people and communities whose languages are threatened, gives the readers an inside understanding of the issues involved and the community-internal attitudes toward language loss and revitalization
From the Back Cover:
Six thousand languages are spoken in today's world, but while a few are spreading rapidly, thousands of others are disappearing, taking with them important cultural, philosophical, and environmental knowledge as well as the pure pleasure of conversation. We all stand to suffer from such a loss, none of us more so than those whose unique expressiveness is threatened by the possible death of their languages. In response to this crisis, communities around the world have begun to develop ways to keep their languages alive. This book, written by a host of gifted practitioners, is both a collection of detailed accounts of their work and a manual of effective revitalization techniques for people attempting to keep their voices alive.
About the Editors:
Leanne Hinton is a professor of linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley. For more than twenty-five years she has been involved in language maintenance and revitalization Dr. Hinton is a cofounder of the American Indian Language Development Institute, and is one of the main designers and trainers for the Master-Apprentice Language Learning Program.
Kenneth Hale has taught linguistics in the Anthropology Departments at the University of Illinois and Arizona, and since 1967, he has been teaching and doing research in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. Dr. Hale has participated in the educational programs of the American Indian Language Development and the Navajo Language Academy.
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