Revitalizing Endangered Languages: A Practical Guide

Abstract

Of the approximately 7,000 languages in the world, at least half may no longer be spoken by the end of the twenty-first century. Languages are endangered by a number of factors, including globalization, education policies, and the political, economic and cultural marginalization of minority groups. This guidebook provides ideas and strategies, as well as some background, to help with the effective revitalization of endangered languages. It covers a broad scope of themes including effective planning, benefits, wellbeing, economic aspects, attitudes and ideologies. The chapter authors have hands-on experience of language revitalization in many countries around the world, and each chapter includes a wealth of examples, such as case studies from specific languages and language areas. Clearly and accessibly written, it is suitable for non-specialists as well as academic researchers and students interested in language revitalization.

Citation

Olko, J., & Sallabank, J. (Eds.). (2021). Revitalizing Endangered Languages: A Practical Guide. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108641142

• Book Type: Edited Book
• Acceptance Date: Mar 21, 2025
• Publication Date: Apr 1, 2021
• Deposit Date: Aug 14, 2019
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• ISBN: 9781108485753
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108641142
• Keywords: endangered languages, language revitalisation, practitioner guide
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108641142
• Additional Information: Copyright Statement : An online version of this work is published at doi.org/10.1017/9781108641142 under a Creative Commons Open Access license CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 which permits reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium for noncommercial purposes providing appropriate credit to the original work is given. You may not distribute derivative works without permission. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons .org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 All versions of this work may contain content reproduced under license from third parties. Permission to reproduce this third-party content must be obtained from these third-parties directly.; Additional Information : This book is the first practical guide to language revitalisation aimed at practitioners. The book is written in clear and accessible language and focuses on practical advice, with numerous real-life examples and contributions from practitioners worldwide. The content is based on our findings and experience from the three-year EU H2020 project 'Engaged Humanities', which studied, supported and built links between Indigenous communities with endangered languages around the globe.