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Endangered Language Activism

Day 1: Smithsonian Folklife Festival

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Photo by @TheNationalMall

Today, the National Mall in Washington D.C. went from open field to bustling international village as the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival opened to the public.

One of the three major themes this year is “One World, Many Voices,” put on in partnership with the Enduring Voices Project, our collaborative project with National Geographic. Representatives of some of the world’s most endangered languages are gathering in the U.S. capitol for ten days of cultural celebration and dialogue.

K. David Harrison, our Director of Research and one of the curators of the festival, just did a great interview with Nat Geo NewsWatch about the festival! Check it out right here.

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Endangered Language Activism, Enduring Voices Project, Gregory D. S. Anderson, Indigenous Language Activists, K. David Harrison, Language Hotspots, Launches and Public Events, Media and Publicity, Support Endangered Languages

“Vanishing Voices” in National Geographic Magazine, July 2012

Great news! An in-depth article about endangered languages is in this month’s issue of National Geographic Magazine. Written by journalist Russ Rymer, with amazing images by photographer Lynn Johnson, the article explores global language loss, with profiles on language revitalization efforts among speakers of languages such as Tuvan, Aka, Chemehuevi, Wintu, Euchee and Seri.

Living Tongues Director Dr. Gregory D.S. Anderson and Director of Research Dr. K. David Harrison were interviewed for the piece, and their documentation work in Arunachal Pradesh (India), among Aka speakers, is discussed. Pick up a copy in news stands before the end of the month! Here is the cover, which features coverage on Easter Island, and in the top left-hand area, you can see that “Saving Lost Languages” is one of the featured topics of the issue.

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