Endangered Languages Week at SOAS

[Peter Austin]

**Apologies for cross-postings**

Endangered Languages Week 2008
Hans Rausing Endangered Languages Project
School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), Russell Square, London

30April to 8th May 2008

Through films, displays, discussions and workshops Endangered Languages Week 2008 presents what is being done to document, archive and support endangered languages at SOAS and around the world. There are approximately 7,000 languages spoken today and half of them are under threat from larger languages.

The theme is “What can WE do?”, exploring how researchers, students, language community members and members of the public can work together to address the challenges of global language and cultural loss.

Activities include:

-- The UK premiere of the acclaimed new film "The
Linguists" shown at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival
--Meet an Endangered Language where you can
come face-to-face with an endangered language, learn about where it is spoken and why it is threatened, experience its culture, and pick up some basic words and phrases.
-- "Open Day" when we open the doors of the Endangered Languages Archive and you can meet researchers, see displays of staff and student work, and experience the latest digital technologies used to record, archive and support endangered languages
-- A debate on how to encourage personal action in support of language diversity: "What is Your Language Footprint?"
-- A full day workshop on "Engagement and Activism in Endangered Languages Research"
-- A specialist workshop on "Geographical Information Systems for Linguists"
-- A day of international films on endangered languages with work from Australia, Denmark, Taiwan and UK
-- Seminars on moral and ethical issues in language fieldwork

Speakers include SOAS staff and Dr Lise Dobrin (USA), Prof Maurizio Gnerre (Italy), Dr David Harrison (USA), Dr Cecelia
Ode (Netherlands), Dr Nicholas Ostler (UK), Prof Peter Sutton (Australia) and Dr Ljuba Veselinova (Sweden).

Most events are free of charge and open to anyone who is interested in endangered languages. For further details visit our <a href="http://www.hrelp.org">website</a> or write to elap AT soas.ac.uk


Prof Peter K. Austin
Marit Rausing Chair in Field Linguistics
Director, Endangered Languages Academic Program
PhD convenor
Department of Linguistics, SOAS
Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square
London WC1H 0XG
United Kingdom

web: http://www.hrelp.org/aboutus/staff/index.php?cd=pa