{"id":2312,"date":"2012-10-05T10:00:01","date_gmt":"2012-10-05T08:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/elanguage.net\/blogs\/booknotices\/?p=2312"},"modified":"2012-10-05T09:36:28","modified_gmt":"2012-10-05T07:36:28","slug":"the-cambridge-handbook-of-endangered-languages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journals.linguisticsociety.org\/booknotices\/?p=2312","title":{"rendered":"The Cambridge handbook of endangered languages"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Cambridge handbook of endangered languages<\/strong>. Ed. by Peter K. Austin <\/strong>and Julia Sallabank<\/strong>. (Cambridge handbooks in language and linguistics.) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011. Pp. xii, 567. ISBN 9780521882156<\/a>. $150 (Hb).<\/div>\n

Reviewed by Natalie Operstein<\/a><\/strong>, California State University Fullerton<\/em><\/p>\n

The issue of language endangerment has received increasing attention in recent years. The book under review reflects this trend by offering a thorough overview of the topic. It consists of twenty-two chapters and an introduction by the editors.<\/p>\n

Part 1, \u2018Endangered languages\u2019, opens with a chapter by Lenore A. Grenoble<\/strong>, which surveys the causes of language shift and mechanisms for assessing the level of endangerment. Colette Grinevald<\/strong> and Michel Bert<\/strong> discuss differences among endangered-language communities and propose a dynamic model for classifying types of endangered-language speakers. In his chapter, David Bradley<\/strong> outlines the current state of endangerment among the world\u2019s languages. Carmel O\u2019Shannessy<\/strong> discusses how contact-induced change is evaluated by minority-language communities, and Naomi Palosaari<\/strong> and Lyle Campbell<\/strong> discuss endangered-language contributions to linguistic theory and typology, and the structural consequences of obsolescence for these languages\u2019 grammars. Closing this section, Lev Michael<\/strong> explores some of the cultural consequences of language shift, and Bernard Spolsky<\/strong> surveys the social dimensions of language management.<\/p>\n

Part 2, \u2018Language documentation\u2019, opens with a chapter by Anthony C. Woodbury<\/strong>, which evaluates the scholarly and community contexts of endangered-language documentation and calls for a broadly inclusive coordination of academic and popular agendas in the design of documentation projects. In their chapter, Lise M. Dobrin<\/strong> and Josh Berson<\/strong> highlight the ethical dimensions of work with endangered languages. Jeff Good<\/strong> surveys the collection, storage, and manipulation of primary data in language documentation. Chapters by Lisa Conathan<\/strong> andby David Nathan<\/strong> outline the principles and practices for the organization, management, and archiving of durable documentary corpus materials.<\/p>\n

Part 3, \u2018Responses\u2019, opens with Julia Sallabank<\/strong>\u2019s chapter, which considers language management issues in relation to the maintenance and revitalization of endangered languages. Leanne Hinton<\/strong> discusses the many forms language revitalization can take, and the role of linguistics in these initiatives. Friederike L\u00fcpke<\/strong> looks at the role of orthography in language documentation and the various practical, linguistic, cultural, and identity-related factors that influence the development of orthographies for unwritten languages. Ulrike Mosel<\/strong> discusses problems typical of lexicographic work in language-documentation projects, such as the challenge of producing work which would satisfy the minority-speech community without compromising the scholarly standards of the field. In their chapter, Serafin M. Coronel-Molina<\/strong> and Teresa L. McCarty<\/strong> present case studies of curriculum design and evaluation informed by local language-planning goals, and Gary Holton<\/strong> discusses the potential of information technology to support language maintenance efforts.<\/p>\n

Part 4, \u2018Challenges\u2019, opens with a chapter by Wayne Harbert<\/strong> that discusses the economic status of endangered-language communities and its implications for the viability of their languages. Anthony Jukes<\/strong> outlines the skills needed for work in language documentation and conservation, and identifies the main types of target audiences in language-documentation training courses. In her chapter, M\u00e1ir\u00e9ad Moriarty<\/strong> evaluates the potential benefits of the new role of endangered languages in the media, internet, and pop culture. Finally, Claire Bowern<\/strong> discusses the general principles and key stages of a language-documentation project, from finding sources of funding to the main project phases and possible outcomes.<\/p>\n

Theoretically informed and replete with advice from practitioners in the field, this handbook will be of interest to a wide range of scholars, students, and general readers interested in language endangerment and related issues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Cambridge handbook of endangered languages. Ed. by Peter K. Austin and Julia Sallabank. (Cambridge handbooks in language and linguistics.) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011. Pp. xii, 567. ISBN 9780521882156. $150 (Hb). Reviewed by Natalie Operstein, California State University Fullerton The issue of language endangerment has received increasing attention in recent years. The book under […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/journals.linguisticsociety.org\/booknotices\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2312"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/journals.linguisticsociety.org\/booknotices\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/journals.linguisticsociety.org\/booknotices\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journals.linguisticsociety.org\/booknotices\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journals.linguisticsociety.org\/booknotices\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2312"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/journals.linguisticsociety.org\/booknotices\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2313,"href":"https:\/\/journals.linguisticsociety.org\/booknotices\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2312\/revisions\/2313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/journals.linguisticsociety.org\/booknotices\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journals.linguisticsociety.org\/booknotices\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journals.linguisticsociety.org\/booknotices\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}