From The Last Speakers Click on the photos below to open larger images.
Photo by K. David Harrison
Photo by Kelly J. Richardson
Photo by Chris Rainier
Photo by Chris Rainier
Photo by Gregory Anderson
Photo by Chris Rainier
Photo by Chris Rainier
Photo by Kelly J. Richardson
From
Parallel to the extinction of biological species in our world, human languages are disappearing one by one. These tongues originated over millennia inside geographically isolated communities for whom modern methods of transportation and communication have proven mixed blessings. Harrison details the work of linguists who are speeding to preserve these tongues for posterity. He travels to Siberia to meet Aunt Marta, one of the last speakers of Tofa, a Turkic tongue. Although a scientist and a rigorous analyst of language grammars and structures, Harrison is particularly intrigued by the personalities of these mostly elderly yet fully engaged people who bravely face the end of what has been a nurturing society. Harrison compellingly details reasons why the rest of the world ought to care about these vanishing languages and what can be done to ensure that they live on despite the irresistible ascendancy of today’s rapidly evolving world culture. --Mark Knoblauch
Description:
Amazon.com Review
From The Last Speakers
Click on the photos below to open larger images.
Photo by K. David Harrison
Photo by Kelly J. Richardson
Photo by Chris Rainier
Photo by Chris Rainier
Photo by Gregory Anderson
Photo by Chris Rainier
Photo by Chris Rainier
Photo by Kelly J. Richardson
From
Parallel to the extinction of biological species in our world, human languages are disappearing one by one. These tongues originated over millennia inside geographically isolated communities for whom modern methods of transportation and communication have proven mixed blessings. Harrison details the work of linguists who are speeding to preserve these tongues for posterity. He travels to Siberia to meet Aunt Marta, one of the last speakers of Tofa, a Turkic tongue. Although a scientist and a rigorous analyst of language grammars and structures, Harrison is particularly intrigued by the personalities of these mostly elderly yet fully engaged people who bravely face the end of what has been a nurturing society. Harrison compellingly details reasons why the rest of the world ought to care about these vanishing languages and what can be done to ensure that they live on despite the irresistible ascendancy of today’s rapidly evolving world culture. --Mark Knoblauch