Endangered languages : an introduction / Sarah G. Thomason, University of Michigan.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Thomason, Sarah Grey.

Series:

Cambridge textbooks in linguistics

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Endangered languages--Case studies.

Endangered languages.

Language obsolescence--Case studies.

Language obsolescence.

Languages in contact--Case studies.

Languages in contact.

Linguistic change--Case studies.

Linguistic change.

Genre:

Case studies.

Physical Description:

xiii, 229 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, [2015]

Summary:

"Most of the 7,000 languages spoken in the world today will vanish before the end of this century, taking with them cultural traditions from all over the world, as well as linguistic structures that would have improved our understanding of the universality and variability of human language. This book is an accessible introduction to the topic of language endangerment, answering questions such as: What is it? How and why does it happen? And why should we care? The book outlines the various causes of language endangerment; explaining what makes a language "safe", and highlighting the danger signs that threaten a minority language. Readers will learn about the consequences of losing a language, both for its former speech community and for our understanding of human language. Illustrated with case studies, it describes the various methods of documenting endangered languages, and shows how they can be revitalised"-- Provided by publisher.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780521865739

0521865735

9780521684538

0521684536

OCLC:

897001721

Online:

Cover image