Ethnographic Contributions to the Study of Endangered Languages (Paperback)

Tania Granadillo

ISBN 10: 0816555591 / ISBN 13: 9780816555598

Edité par University of Arizona Press, Tucson, 2025

A propos de cet article

Paperback. It is a feature of the twenty-first century that world languages are displacing local languages at an alarming rate, transforming social relations and complicating cultural transmission in the process. This language shiftthe gradual abandonment of minority languages in favor of national or international languagesis often in response to inequalities in power, signaling a pressure to conform to the political and economic structures represented by the newly dominant languages. In its most extreme form, language shift can result in language death and thus the permanent loss of traditional knowledge and lifeways. To combat this, indigenous and scholarly communities around the world have undertaken various efforts, from archiving and lexicography to the creation of educational and cultural programs. What works in one community, however, may not work in another. Indeed, while the causes of language endangerment may be familiar, the responses to it depend on highly specific local conditions and opportunities. In keeping with this premise, the editors of this volume insist that to understand language endangerment, researchers and communities must come to understand what is happening to the speakers, not just what is happening to the language. The eleven case studies assembled here strive to fill a gap in the study of endangered languages by providing much-needed sociohistorical and ethnographic context and thus connecting specific language phenomena to larger national and international issues. The goal is to provide theoretical and methodological tools for researchers and organizers to best address the specific needs of communities facing language endangerment. The case studies here span regions as diverse as Kenya, Siberia, Papua New Guinea, Mexico, Venezuela, the United States, and Germany. The volume includes a foreword by linguistic anthropologist Jane Hill and an afterword by poet and linguist Ofelia Zepeda. The eleven case studies assembled here strive to fill a gap in the study of endangered languages by providing much-needed sociohistorical and ethnographic context and thus connecting specific language phenomena to larger national and international issues. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

N° de réf. du vendeur 9780816555598

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Ethnographic Contributions to the Study of Endangered Languages (Paperback)
• Éditeur: University of Arizona Press, Tucson
• Date de parution: 2025
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN à 10 chiffres: 0816555591
• ISBN à 13 chiffres: 9780816555598
• Reliure: Paperback
• État de l'article: new

A propos de ce titre

Synopsis

It is a feature of the twenty-first century that world languages are displacing local languages at an alarming rate, transforming social relations and complicating cultural transmission in the process. This language shift—the gradual abandonment of minority languages in favor of national or international languages—is often in response to inequalities in power, signaling a pressure to conform to the political and economic structures represented by the newly dominant languages. In its most extreme form, language shift can result in language death and thus the permanent loss of traditional knowledge and lifeways.

To combat this, indigenous and scholarly communities around the world have undertaken various efforts, from archiving and lexicography to the creation of educational and cultural programs. What works in one community, however, may not work in another. Indeed, while the causes of language endangerment may be familiar, the responses to it depend on “highly specific local conditions and opportunities.” In keeping with this premise, the editors of this volume insist that to understand language endangerment, “researchers and communities must come to understand what is happening to the speakers, not just what is happening to the language.” The eleven case studies assembled here strive to fill a gap in the study of endangered languages by providing much-needed sociohistorical and ethnographic context and thus connecting specific language phenomena to larger national and international issues.

The goal is to provide theoretical and methodological tools for researchers and organizers to best address the specific needs of communities facing language endangerment. The case studies here span regions as diverse as Kenya, Siberia, Papua New Guinea, Mexico, Venezuela, the United States, and Germany. The volume includes a foreword by linguistic anthropologist Jane Hill and an afterword by poet and linguist Ofelia Zepeda.

À propos des auteurs

Tania Granadillo is a professor of anthropology at the University of Western Ontario. Her research focuses on the endangered languages of the Amazon.

Heidi A. Orcutt-Gachiri is currently affiliated with the University of Arizona. Her research has focused on the effects of the discourses of education, nationalism, and development on language endangerment in Kenya.