New language discovered

[Terry Langendoen]

Hi Massimo,

David Harrison has made a TV documentary about his fieldwork in
Siberia.  A preliminary version was shown at LSA earlier this
month. I didn't see it, but those who did said it is excellent.

I don't know whether the language in question was "discovered".
One way to check is to see if it's listed in the most current
edition of Ethnologue. I don't know its typological properties
either. I also can't give you a figure on how many languages have
gone extinct in the past 10 years. I'm copying this reply to the
ILAT list that Phil Cash Cash has set up.  Perhaps someone on
that list can answer the questions you have raised. Sorry I
couldn't be of more help. Good luck with your piece! Terry

On Thu, 29 Jan 2004, Massimo Piattelli-Palmarini wrote:

> Dear Terry,
> Tried to communicate with you by phone. I have been asked by Il Corriere to
> write an article on the discovery of a new language in Siberia (Middle
> Chulym, discovered by Swarthmore linguist David Harrison). Only a handful of
> elderly speakers (about 35 individuals, all over 50). I would like to get
> from you, either for quote or for my own elaboration, essential replies to
> the following questions:
> How many languages have disappeared already in the last, say, 10 years or
> so?
>
> This new language (no details available on the press articles) may well have
> some interesting novel features, but it will no doubt have the usual
> universals. Can we make a quick list?
>
> What does it mean today, for linguists, to discover a new language?
>
> I have to send in my piece tomorrow (Friday), so a quick reply will be
> highly appreciated
> Thanks a lot
> Massimo
>
>
>

Terry Langendoen, Dept of Linguistics, Univ of Arizona
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  http://linguistics.arizona.edu/~langendoen
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