Friday, September 14, 2007

Endangered Languages

This is an institute run by my cousin for the recording, study, and preservation of endangered languages. They've also developed the 'language hotspot' model (name borrowed from the common 'biodiversity hotspot' model). A language hotspot is an area that includes 3 factors:

1. High level of linguistic diversity
2. High rate of langauage extinction
3. Low level of previous study/recording

Interestingly, one of the most grave areas in the world in terms of all these factors is in Bolivia, which can then be split into three sections. One encompasses the high Andean region northwest of La Paz, one the southern altiplano, and planes extending into northern Argentina and Paraguay, and one the tropical lowlands of the amazon basin. Anyways, this and much more on their website here.

Will

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Endangered languages.

Though I have certainly read about lost cultures and with those losses, a loss of some language, I have never actually thought of this in terms of endangered languages. This definitely has an intriguing flavor to it.