Working Together for Endangered Languages: Research Challenges and Social Impacts - new book

[Nicholas Ostler]

The Foundation for Endangered Languages held its eleventh conference in
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in October 2007, in collaboration with the
University of Malaya. It concerned the complex problems that arise in
ensuring that linguists' work to document languages and promote language
communities have positive, and no negative, effects on those same
communities.

To penetrate and immerse oneself in an ethnolinguistic speech community
whose language may be on the verge of death provides the linguist many
challenges on the social and relationship levels. While the linguist is
required to collect data as a researcher, s/he must also form a
relationship with the members of the community so as to collaborate with
them in efforts to promote and preserve the language, in ensuring its
revival, in establishing devices and procedures to stop endangerment
etc. Given that the endangerment of languages can be handled sensitively
through collaboration between researchers and members of a community
facing language extinction, this Conference addressed the research
challenges and social impacts of such collaborations.

The proceedings of the conference are now available, entitled "Working
Together for Endangered Languages: Research Challenges and Social
Impacts", edited by Maya Khemlani David, Nicholas Ostler and Caesar
Dealwis.(ISBN 9780953824892)

It is an 178-page volume, and the contents look like this:

Section 1    Inauguration and Keynote                   
Preface: Working Together for Endangered Languages: Research Challenges
and Social Impacts - Maya Khemlani David, Nicholas Ostler, Caesar 
Dealwis    

 From Nostalgia to Hope: The Impacts of a Language 
Documentation/Revitalization Project Among the Mapoyo of Venezuela – 
Tania Granadillo and Maria Eugenia Villalon

Section 2    Community Empowerment: Some Needs
Collaborative Language Revival – the work of Kaurna Warra Pityandi 
(Adelaide Plains, South
Australia) - Rob Amery and Alitya Wallara Rigney   

A Model of Participatory Action Research: the Mayangna Linguists Team of 
Nicaragua - Elena Benedicto and
Demetrio Antolín, Modesta Dolores, M. Cristina Feliciano, Gloria Fendly, 
Tomasa Gómez, Baudilio Miguel, and Elisa Salomón (Mayangna Yulbarangyang 
Balna)

Section 3    Community Empowerment: Some Issues
Developing Language Partnership with Tohono O'odham Nation (Arizona) – 
Colleen Fitzgerald
       
Who Pays the Piper? – Simon Musgrave and Nicholas Thieberger

Sensitivity to Code Selected for Discourse: Focus on the Bidayuhs in
Kamponung Bogag, Bau District, Sarawak – Caesar Dealwis and Maya 
Khemlani David
                   
Section 4    Performance Arts
Critical Multilingual Shift in Sanya, China: Accelerated Urbanization 
and Possible Sociolinguistic Repair - Benjamin K. Tsou, Andy C. Chin, 
Ouyang Jueya, Carol To, Kenny Mok and Yang Weihui

Section 5    Theoretical Viewpoints
Deontology of sociolinguistic & ethnomusicology fieldwork, Italy – Paolo 
Coluzzi

Addressing the Ground of Language Endangerment (Victoria, Australia) -
Christina Eira

Section 6     Implications of Education
Importance and Acquisition of Navajo Verbs in Navajo Children (New
Mexico) - Melvatha R. Chee

Orthography Development through Compulsory Education (Thailand) - Mark Holt

Section 7    Government Policy effects
On the Realization of Language Legislation in Russia: The Case of 
Buryatia – Galina Dyrkheeva

Siraiki: A Case of  'Linguistic Cringe' in Pakistan – Saiqa Asif

Challenges in Language Modernization in China:  The Case of Prinmi – 
Picus Ding

Researching Language Maintenance and Vitality in SW Zimbabwe – Finex 
Ndhlovu   

Field experiences from Indus Kohistan, NWFP, Pakistan – Talib Jan   

Section 8    Effects of Outside Interests                    Saving 
Souls / Saving
Languages: Writing Vernacular Aramaic (Western/Central Asia) – Eden Naby

Documenting the Vidunda language of Tanzania – Karsten Legere

Endangerment of Japanese language in Japanese diaspora: Evidence from a 
Russian Island Sakhalin - Yoshiyuki Asahi

Section 9    Effects of Community Attitudes
The Baka of Gabon: an Endangered Language and Culture –    Pascale Paulin

Documenting in a Multilingual Setting: the case of the Barombi Language 
in Cameroon – Gratien Atindogbe

FEL manifesto                                   

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Copies are now available, at 20 pounds sterling ($40 US, 30 euro) apiece
(including surface postage and packing). For air-mail dispatch, please
add 7.50 pounds/$15.00/10 euro. Cheaper prices are available to FEL
members, but copies are already on their way to Full, Light, Honorary
and Corporate members.

You can pay by
- a cheque (in pounds sterling) payable to "Foundation for Endangered
Languages".
- a check (in US $) payable to "Nicholas Ostler".
- proof of having sent an equivalent sum in your own currency to the
society's account, "Foundation for Endangered Languages", Account no:
50073456, The Cooperative Bank (Sort code: 08-90-02), 16 St.
Stephen's Street, Bristol BS1 1JR, England.
- or by credit card (Visa, MasterCard, EuroCard), enclosing Card
number, Expiry date (month | year), Name (as on card), and Address
(as on card).

To expedite delivery, please send orders to me at the address below.

-- 
Nicholas Ostler

Chairman, Foundation for Endangered Languages
Registered Charity: England and Wales 1070616
http://www.ogmios.org

172 Bailbrook Lane, Bath, BA1 7AA, England

nostler at chibcha.demon.co.uk <mailto:nostler at chibcha.demon.co.uk>