Vanishing Voices

The Extinction of the World's Languages

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Language Arts, Linguistics, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Anthropology
Cover of the book Vanishing Voices by Daniel Nettle, Suzanne Romaine, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Daniel Nettle, Suzanne Romaine ISBN: 9780190285784
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: July 27, 2000
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Daniel Nettle, Suzanne Romaine
ISBN: 9780190285784
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: July 27, 2000
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

Few people know that nearly one hundred native languages once spoken in what is now California are near extinction, or that most of Australia's 250 aboriginal languages have vanished. In fact, at least half of the world's languages may die out in the next century. Daniel Nettle and Suzanne Romaine assert that this trend is far more than simply disturbing. Making explicit the link between language survival and environmental issues, they argue that the extinction of languages is part of the larger picture of near-total collapse of the worldwide ecosystem. Indeed, the authors contend that the struggle to preserve precious environmental resources-such as the rainforest-cannot be separated from the struggle to maintain diverse cultures, and that the causes of language death, like that of ecological destruction, lie at the intersection of ecology and politics. In addition to defending the world's endangered languages, the authors also pay homage to the last speakers of dying tongues, such as Red Thundercloud, a Native American in South Carolina; Ned Mandrell, with whom the Manx language passed away in 1974; and Arthur Bennett, an Australian who was the last person to know more than a few words of Mbabaram. In our languages lies the accumulated knowledge of humanity. Indeed, each language is a unique window on experience. Vanishing Voices is a call to preserve this resource, before it is too late.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Few people know that nearly one hundred native languages once spoken in what is now California are near extinction, or that most of Australia's 250 aboriginal languages have vanished. In fact, at least half of the world's languages may die out in the next century. Daniel Nettle and Suzanne Romaine assert that this trend is far more than simply disturbing. Making explicit the link between language survival and environmental issues, they argue that the extinction of languages is part of the larger picture of near-total collapse of the worldwide ecosystem. Indeed, the authors contend that the struggle to preserve precious environmental resources-such as the rainforest-cannot be separated from the struggle to maintain diverse cultures, and that the causes of language death, like that of ecological destruction, lie at the intersection of ecology and politics. In addition to defending the world's endangered languages, the authors also pay homage to the last speakers of dying tongues, such as Red Thundercloud, a Native American in South Carolina; Ned Mandrell, with whom the Manx language passed away in 1974; and Arthur Bennett, an Australian who was the last person to know more than a few words of Mbabaram. In our languages lies the accumulated knowledge of humanity. Indeed, each language is a unique window on experience. Vanishing Voices is a call to preserve this resource, before it is too late.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book Adaptive Perspectives on Human-Technology Interaction by Daniel Nettle, Suzanne Romaine
Cover of the book Clinical Data-Mining by Daniel Nettle, Suzanne Romaine
Cover of the book Sentencing Policy: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Daniel Nettle, Suzanne Romaine
Cover of the book Gay, Straight, and the Reason Why by Daniel Nettle, Suzanne Romaine
Cover of the book Knowing by Daniel Nettle, Suzanne Romaine
Cover of the book The Oxford Companion To The History Of Modern Science by Daniel Nettle, Suzanne Romaine
Cover of the book The Sacred Depths of Nature by Daniel Nettle, Suzanne Romaine
Cover of the book The Reformation and Wars of Religion in France: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Daniel Nettle, Suzanne Romaine
Cover of the book Life Before Birth by Daniel Nettle, Suzanne Romaine
Cover of the book The Americas' First Theologies by Daniel Nettle, Suzanne Romaine
Cover of the book Capital Adequacy beyond Basel by Daniel Nettle, Suzanne Romaine
Cover of the book Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings by Daniel Nettle, Suzanne Romaine
Cover of the book Unbecoming British : How Revolutionary America Became a Postcolonial Nation by Daniel Nettle, Suzanne Romaine
Cover of the book Hedge Fund Structure, Regulation, and Performance around the World by Daniel Nettle, Suzanne Romaine
Cover of the book Charles S. Peirce's Phenomenology by Daniel Nettle, Suzanne Romaine
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy