Enduring Voices
Encyclopedia
Enduring Voices is a project for documenting world's endangered language
s and trying to prevent language extinction by identifying the most crucial areas where languages are endangered and embarking on expeditions to record these languages. Launched in 2007 by the joint effort of the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages
and the National Geographic Society
, it has organized expeditions to language "hotspots" around the world, e.g. to Australia
, Bolivia
, East India
. Enduring Voices tries to understand the geographic dimensions of language distribution, determine how linguistic diversity is linked to biodiversity and bring wider attention to the issue of language loss. The Enduring Voices Project assists indigenous communities in their efforts to revitalize and maintain their threatened languages.
The Language Hotspots model for prioritizing language research was conceived and developed by Dr. Greg Anderson and K. David Harrison at the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages to identify most endangered and least studied languages. It is a new way to view the distribution of global linguistic diversity, to assess the threat of language extinction, and to. Hotspots are those regions of the world having the greatest linguistic diversity, the greatest language endangerment, and the least-studied languages. For the project, Doctors Anderson and Harrison are accompanied by Chris Rainier, a National Geographic Fellow and ethnographic photographer and filmmaker for helping in documenting various linguistic expedition on camera and film.
Identified hotspots with degrees of threat of language extinction include:
In each of these area, Enduring Voices has identified languages as priorities for research before it is too late.
Through the efforts of the Enduring Voices Project, the Koro language
was discovered in India in 2008. During a three week trip in 2009, the Enduring Voices team recorded interviews with speakers of eleven indigenous languages of Papua New Guinea.
Endangered language
An endangered language is a language that is at risk of falling out of use. If it loses all its native speakers, it becomes a dead language. If eventually no one speaks the language at all it becomes an "extinct language"....
s and trying to prevent language extinction by identifying the most crucial areas where languages are endangered and embarking on expeditions to record these languages. Launched in 2007 by the joint effort of the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages
Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages
The Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages is an organization based in Salem, Oregon, United States that scientifically documents endangered languages, and assists communities with maintaining and revitalizing knowledge of their native languages. The institute is led by two linguists,...
and the National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
, it has organized expeditions to language "hotspots" around the world, e.g. to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, East India
East India
East India is a region of India consisting of the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Orissa. The states of Orissa and West Bengal share some cultural and linguistic characteristics with Bangladesh and with the state of Assam. Together with Bangladesh, West Bengal formed the...
. Enduring Voices tries to understand the geographic dimensions of language distribution, determine how linguistic diversity is linked to biodiversity and bring wider attention to the issue of language loss. The Enduring Voices Project assists indigenous communities in their efforts to revitalize and maintain their threatened languages.
The Language Hotspots model for prioritizing language research was conceived and developed by Dr. Greg Anderson and K. David Harrison at the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages to identify most endangered and least studied languages. It is a new way to view the distribution of global linguistic diversity, to assess the threat of language extinction, and to. Hotspots are those regions of the world having the greatest linguistic diversity, the greatest language endangerment, and the least-studied languages. For the project, Doctors Anderson and Harrison are accompanied by Chris Rainier, a National Geographic Fellow and ethnographic photographer and filmmaker for helping in documenting various linguistic expedition on camera and film.
Identified hotspots with degrees of threat of language extinction include:
- Severe: North West Pacific Plateau (USA), Central South America, Central Siberia, Eastern Siberia and Northern Australia
- High: Oklahoma Southwest, Southern South America,
- Medium: Northern South America, Western Melanesia
- Low: MesoAmerica, Western Africa, Eastern Africa, Southern Africa, Caucasus, Eastern India and Malaysia, SouthEast Asia, Eastern Melanesia and Taiwan-Philippines.
In each of these area, Enduring Voices has identified languages as priorities for research before it is too late.
Through the efforts of the Enduring Voices Project, the Koro language
Koro language
Koro is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by approximately 800–1,200 people in the East Kameng district at the western end of Arunachal Pradesh, India. Few speakers are under 20 years old. The people live among the Aka , but their language is only distantly related, with distinct words for numerals,...
was discovered in India in 2008. During a three week trip in 2009, the Enduring Voices team recorded interviews with speakers of eleven indigenous languages of Papua New Guinea.