Language Death

by David Crystal

• ISBN13: 9780521012713
• ISBN10: 0521012716
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-04-29
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

The rapid endangerment and death of many minority languages across the world is a matter of widespread concern, not only among linguists and anthropologists but among all interested in the issues of cultural identity in an increasingly globalized culture. A leading commentator and popular writer on langauge issues, David Crystal asks the fundamental question, "Why is language death so important?", reviews the reason for the current crisis, and investigates what is being done to reduce its impact. By some counts, only 600 of the 6,000 or so languages in the world are "safe" from the threat of extinction. By some reckonings, the world will, by the end of the twenty-first century, be dominated by a small number of major languages. Language Death provides a stimulating and accessible account of this alarming trend, which, like the large-scale destruction of the environment, is both peculiarly modern and increasingly global. Language Death includes intelligent argument and moving descriptions of the decline and demise of particular languages, as well as practical advise for anyone interested in pursuing the subject further. David Crystal is a leading authority on language, and author of many books, including most recently Language and the Internet, (Cambridge, 2001). He is author or editor of several other books with Cambridge, including the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language (1997), Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language (1995), English as a Global Langauge (1997), Language Death (2000); and Words on Words (University of Chicago, 2000). An internationally renowned writer, journal editor, lecturer and braodcaster, he received an Order of the British Empire in 1995 for his services to the English language.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
What is language death?	1	(26)
Why should we care?	27	(41)
Why do languages die?	68	(23)
Where do we begin?	91	(36)
What can be done?	127	(40)
Appendix: some useful organizations	167	(3)
References	170	(12)
Index of dialects, languages, language families, and ethnic groups	182	(3)
Index of authors and speakers	185	(3)
Subject index	188