Language City: The Fight to Preserve Endangered Mother Tongues

Contemporary cities are the most linguistically diverse in history, even as half of the world's 7000-plus languages are endangered. How did this happen, and what does it mean for the future of language?

Ross Perlin, co-director of the Endangered Language Alliance (ELA) and author of , will describe how linguists are increasingly racing to document and support little-known languages not only on remote islands and mountains but in the world’s most cosmpolitan cities. Starting from the case of New York, where ELA has worked for 15 years to document the presence of over 700 languages, Perlin will pan out to talk about the impact of migration, diaspora, and multilingualism on today’s cities more generally, with a range of profound political, economic, social, and cultural implications.

Co-sponsored by Kultur Mercado and the Endangered Language Alliance.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Endangered Language Alliance