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Book Cover
E-book
Author Thomason, Sarah Grey, author

Title Endangered languages : an introduction / Sarah G. Thomason, University of Michigan
Published Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, [2015]

Copies

Description 1 online resource (246 pages) : map
Series Cambridge textbooks in linguistics
Cambridge textbooks in linguistics
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
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes Print version record
Subject Endangered languages -- Case studies
Language obsolescence -- Case studies
Languages in contact -- Case studies
Linguistic change -- Case studies
Endangered languages
Language obsolescence
Languages in contact
Linguistic change
Genre/Form Case studies
Form Electronic book
ISBN 9781139033817
1139033816