When Languages Die (the Extinction Of The World's Languages And The Erosion Of Human Knowledge)

By (author) Harrison K. David
Description
It is commonly agreed by linguists and anthropologists that the majority of languages spoken now around the globe will likely disappear within our lifetime. The phenomenon known as language death has started to accelerate as the world has grown smaller. This extinction of languages, and the knowledge therein, has no parallel in human history. K. David Harrison''s book is the first to focus on the essential question, what is lost when a language dies? What forms of knowledge are embedded in a language''s structure and vocabulary? And how harmful is it to humanity that such knowledge is lost forever? Harrison spans the globe from Siberia, to North America, to the Himalayas and elsewhere, to look at the human knowledge that is slowly being lost as the languages that express it fade from sight. He uses fascinating anecdotes and portraits of some of these languages'' last remaining speakers, in order to demonstrate that this knowledge about ourselves and the world is inherently precious and once gone, will be lost forever. This knowledge is not only our cultural heritage (oral histories, poetry, stories, etc.) but very useful knowledge about plants, animals, the seasons, and other aspects of the natural world—not to mention our understanding of the capacities of the human mind. Harrison''s book is a testament not only to the pressing issue of language death, but to the remarkable span of human knowledge and ingenuity. It will fascinate linguists, anthropologists, and general readers.
Table of contents
1.: A World of Many (Fewer) Voices 2.: An Extinction of (ideas about) Species 3.: Many Moons Ago: Traditional Calendars and Time-Reckoning Case Study: Urban Nomads of Mongolia 4.: An Atlas in the Mind Case Study: Wheel of Fortune, and a Blessing 5.: Silent Storytellers, Lost Legends Case Study: New Rice vs. Old Knowledge 6.: Counting to Twenty on your Toes Case Study: The Leaf-Cup People, India''s Modern Primitives 7.: Worlds within Words Bibliography Index
Review quote
In this scholarly yet very readable study, Harrison writes powerfully of the value and beauty of these vanishing knowledge systems.
Review quote
K. David Harrison makes an excellent case for studying our disappearing languages. Intrepid and dedicated, he is committed to salvaging what he can before it is too late.
Biographical note
K David Harrison is Assistant Professor of Linguistics, Swarthmore College. As a linguist and specialist in Siberian Turkic languages, he has spent many months in Siberia and Mongolia working with nomadic herders and studying their languages and traditions. He has also worked in India, Bolivia, the Philippines, Lithuania, and the United States. His work on endangered languages is featured in the documentary film The Linguists and was featured on the Comedy Central series The Colbert Report.
Publisher''s notice
K David Harrison is Assistant Professor of Linguistics, Swarthmore College. As a linguist and specialist in Siberian Turkic languages, he has spent many months in Siberia and Mongolia working with nomadic herders and studying their languages and traditions. He has also worked in India, Bolivia, the Philippines, Lithuania, and the United States. His work on endangered languages is featured in the documentary film The Linguists and was featured on the Comedy Central series The Colbert Report.
Feature
Selling point: This is the first book to examine the question of "knowledge death"--the true impact of language death Selling point: Accessibly written, with anecdotes and portraits of interesting locales and people from around the world
Review quote: previous edition
"At our current rate of language loss, by the end of this century the vast majority of the world''s languages will be either extinct or will be spoken by only a few old people. While much effort a