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1. Introduction -- 2. Stages of language endangerment -- 3. Working in a community; case study: N/uu / by Matthias Brenzinger & Sheena Shah-- 4. Identity and attitudes -- 5. Language knowledge and use -- 6. The sociolinguistic setting -- 7. Linguistic processes -- 8. Policy and planning -- 9. Language reclamation -- 10. Methodology -- 11. Conclusion -- Glossary of terms -- References -- Index.

In Indonesia, language endangerment is primarily related to language shift. Data show that the most important symptoms of language shift and of the vitality of a language are number and quality of the domains in which it is used and transmitted. The second crucial symptom of language endangerment is the loss of transmission from one generation to the next. This is what is now being seen in many communities across Indonesia where children are no longer acquiring their parents' language. There are two general endangerment scenarios that have occurred in Indonesia. The first is the immigration scenario in which members of another speech community from outside the area move in and due to economic and political advantage essentially 'take over' a local speech community, imposing their own language. The second is the emigration scenario in which members of a local speech community temporarily migrate outside of the community for education or work, and on returning bring the dominant language from outside into the community. Finally, we can now find in many parts of Indonesia that social changes including economic, educational, and political contexts, promote a shift from local to dominant language.

Language endangerment by definition excludes children and childhood, as the most endangered languages are those which are no longer being used, spoken, or acquired by the youngest generations. By and large, research in this area reflects this exclusion by focusing primarily on the documentation of grammatical knowledge elicited from the oldest speakers for storage in archives (what Maliseet anthropologist Bernard Perley has termed "zombie linguistics"). However, when approached from a language socialization orientation, the seeming paradox of language endangerment in childhood dissolves. Investigations of endangered languages in childhood reveal surprisingly vibrant and complicated amalgams of linguistic practices, socializing discourses, and cultural ideologies. They underscore the need to apply mixed methods to understanding processes of language endangerment. They challenge the grammatical boundedness of languages as (transparently) discrete objects. They recognize the vitalities emergent from situations of aggressive contact. Thus, attention to children and childhood not only calls into question the privileged rhetoric of zombie linguistics but also accentuates and challenges the socially constructed dimensions of languages and linguistic boundaries.

This volume further complicates and advances the contemporary perspective on language endangerment by examining the outcomes of the most commonly cited responses to language endangerment, i.e. language documentation, language revitalization, and training. The present collection takes stock of many complex and pressing issues, such as the assessment of the degree of language endangerment, the contribution of linguistic scholarship to language revitalization programs, the creation of successful language reclamation programs, the emergence of languages that arise as a result of revitalization efforts after interrupted transmission, the ethics of fieldwork, and the training of field linguists and language educators. The volume's case studies provide detailed personal accounts of fieldworkers and language activists who are grappling with issues of language documentation and revitalization in the concrete physical and socio-cultural settings of native speaker communities in different regions of the world.

Intro -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- List of tables and figures -- List of abbreviations -- List of photos and map -- 1. Introduction -- 1.1. Introductory notes -- 1.2. Origin and development of language -- 1.3. Language loss: a brief history -- 1.4. Dialects, migrant languages, and enclave languages -- 1.5. Notes on terminology -- 1.6. Summary of Chapter 1 -- 2. Degree of language endangerment -- 2.1. Introductory notes -- 2.2. Previous classifications -- 2.3. Terms employed -- 2.4. Summary of Chapter 2 -- 3. Current state of language endangerment -- 3.1. Introductory notes -- 3.2. Current state worldwide -- 3.3. Ainu of Japan -- 3.4. Austronesian languages -- 3.5. Languages of Australia -- 3.6. Languages of South America -- 3.7. Languages of Central America -- 3.8. Languages of North America -- 3.9. Languages of the former USSR -- 3.10. Languages of Northern Europe -- 3.11. Celtic languages -- 3.12. Languages of Africa -- 3.13. Languages of India and neighbouring regions -- 3.14. Languages of China and neighbouring regions -- 3.15. Summary of Chapter 3 -- 4. Approaches to language endangerment -- 4.1. Introductory notes -- 4.2. Language documentation approach -- 4.3. Language endangerment phenomenon approach -- 4.4. Models of language endangerment -- 4.5. Summary of Chapter 4 -- 5. Definitions and types of language death -- 5.1. Introductory notes -- 5.2. Definitions of language death -- 5.3. Types of language death -- 5.4. Summary of Chapter 5 -- 6. External setting of language endangerment -- 6.1. Introductory notes -- 6.2. Ecology of language -- 6.3. Causes of language endangerment -- 6.4. Summary of Chapter 6 -- 7. Speech behaviour: sociolinguistic aspects of language endangerment -- 7.1. Introductory notes -- 7.2. Functional domains -- 7.3. Language shift -- 7.4. Summary of Chapter 7 -- 8. Structural changes in language endangerment.

In almost every part of the world, minority languages are being threatened with extinction. At the same time, dedicated efforts are being made to document endangered languages, to maintain them, and even to revive once-extinct languages. The book presents a comprehensive overview of language endangerment and revitalization. Among the examined aspects are: degrees of endangerment, definitions of language death, causes of endangerment, types of speakers in endangerment situations, methods of documentation. The book is of interest to a wide readership, including linguists, anthropologists, sociologists, and educators

AbstractAsia is the world's most linguistically diverse continent and its diversity largely conforms to established global patterns that correlate linguistic diversity with biodiversity, latitude, and topography. However, one Asian region stands out as an anomaly in these patterns—Tibet, which is often portrayed as linguistically homogenous. A growing body of research now suggests that Tibet is linguistically diverse. In this article, we examine this literature in an attempt to quantify Tibet's linguistic diversity. We focus on the minority languages of Tibet—languages that are neither Chinese nor Tibetan. We provide five different estimates of how many minority languages are spoken in Tibet. We also interrogate these sources for clues about language endangerment among Tibet's minority languages and propose a sociolinguistic categorization of Tibet's minority languages that enables broad patterns of language endangerment to be perceived. Appendices include lists of the languages identified in each of our five estimates, along with references to key sources on each language. Our survey found that as many as 60 minority languages may be spoken in Tibet and that the majority of these languages are endangered to some degree. We hope our contribution inspires further research into the predicament of Tibet's minority languages and helps support community efforts to maintain and revitalize these languages.