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Have you ever wondered what is really happening to minority languages of Northeast Asia and which efforts are being taken both by \"westerners\" and local people to preserve and promote them? Would you like to discover, uncover, and tackle deep linguistic questions of such small but highly important languages such as Khamnigan Mongol, Wutun, Sartul-Buryat, Tofan and Sakhalin Ainu, just to mention a few? Would you like to know how simple smart phone apps can help communities to preserve, love and use their native language? This book, containing a rich selection of contributions on various aspects of language endangerment, emic and etic approaches at language preservation, and contact-linguistics, is an important contribution to the Unesco's Indigenous Languages Decade, which has right now started (2022-2032).

Salikoko Mufwene raises significant questions about how and why languages become endangered (and die). The purpose of this reply is to provide additional perspective on what goes into answering these questions. Several of Mufwene’s claims are responded to. Questions are raised concerning what the theorizing about language endangerment and loss (LEL) that Mufwene calls for would be like. Many causal factors associated with LEL are mentioned, advances in understanding are pointed out, and the roles of language documentation and language revitalization are clarified.

Language extinction occurs when a language ceases to be spoken (Crystal, 2002; Krauss, 1992; Meek, 2019). This study examines the Totoli language, an endangered language in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, where a sharp decline in active speakers has been observed. Using a sociolinguistic approach, the research conceptualizes language as both a symbol system and a manifestation of cultural identity. Data were collected through structured questionnaires, focusing on patterns of language use across different domains such as family and neighborhood interactions. These findings highlight the diminishing role of Totoli in everyday communication, signaling an urgent need for intervention. This study emphasizes the importance of targeted preservation efforts to protect the Totoli language as one of the regional languages in Indonesia, especially in Sulawesi. It is important to highlight the urgency of implementing preservation and revitalization strategies to ensure the survival of Totoli language. Without such measures, Totoli risks extinction, underscoring broader implications for endangered languages globally.

This series offers a wide forum for work on contact linguistics, using an integrated approach to both diachronic and synchronic manifestations of contact, ranging from social and individual aspects to structural-typological issues. Topics covered by the series include child and adult bilingualism and multilingualism, contact languages, borrowing and contact-induced typological change, code switching in conversation, societal multilingualism, bilingual language processing, and various other topics related to language contact. The series does not have a fixed theoretical orientation, and includes contributions from a variety of approaches.

What shapes and magnitude can language loss have in East Asian endangered languages? How does it differ with regards to the languages' historical development and sociolinguistic environment? This book surveys a number of minority and, in most cases, endangered languages spoken in China, Japan, Taiwan, and Russia which all face, or have faced in their recent history, loss of language features. The contributions in this publication present you with different cases of obsolescence attested throughout East Asia and highlight how this process, though often leading back to common causes, is in fact a multifaceted reality with diverse repercussions on grammar and linguistic vitality.

This study is the first to explore language attitudes of the endangered Faifi language in SA. Understanding these attitudes is crucial for future language revitalization efforts. Employing a conceptual framework from LA research, data were collected via an online Arabic questionnaire with a sample of 258 participants. This paper aims to explore the indigenous people’s language attitudes, frequency of language use, and the influence of social backgrounds. Data were analyzed using factor analysis and multiple regression. Three key findings emerged: Firstly, a two-dimensional model encompassing status and dynamism dimensions was identified, offering new insights into LAs. Notably, the trait “educated” was associated with dynamism rather than the typical association with the status dimension, which can be attributed to educational factors related to the Faifi language’s lack of formal instruction in schools. Secondly, the reported use of the Faifi language by its speakers indicated a positive trend. Lastly, age was found to be the only significant sociodemographic variable, with older participants exhibiting more positive attitudes compared to younger participants. In summary, this research contributes fresh perspectives on the dimensions of language attitudes, particularly by highlighting the deviation of the trait “educated” from its customary position within the status dimension. Additionally, the study emphasizes the salience of age as a factor. The paper recommends macro and micro language policies; macro language policy should consider integrating the language into the educational system, while micro language policy should originate from the indigenous community itself, initiating initiatives to further support language use among young speakers. Plain language summary Understanding attitudes towards endangered languages: A case study of the Faifi language This study is the first of its kind to explore what people think about the endangered Faifi language in Saudi Arabia. Previous research focused on how the language is spoken, but not much attention has been given to people’s opinions about it. Understanding these opinions is important for efforts to revive the language in the future. To gather data, an online survey was conducted in Arabic with 258 participants. This research finds out what indigenous people think about the language, how often they use it, and how their social backgrounds influence their views. The data was using some statistical techniques and three main findings were revealed. First, the research reveals that people’s opinions about the language can be described in two ways: how important they think it is and how much they think it can change and adapt. This provides new insights into language attitudes. Surprisingly, being “educated” was associated with how much the language can change, rather than how important it is. This might be because the Faifi language isn’t taught in schools, which affects people’s views. Second, the research finds that people who speak the Faifi language reported using it more often, which is a positive sign. Lastly, age was emerged as the only significant factor that influenced people’s opinions. Older participants had more positive attitudes compared to younger participants. In summary, this research gives us new perspectives on language attitudes, especially by showing how the trait “educated” can be different from what we usually expect. It also emphasizes the importance of age. Based on the findings, I recommend both macro and micro language policies. Macro policies should focus on including the language in schools for indigenous people, while micro policies should come from the community itself, taking actions to support the language, especially among young speakers.

This book explores Indigenous, tribal and minority (ITM) language education in oral and/or written communication and in the use of new technologies and online resources for pedagogical purposes in diverse geopolitical contexts. It demonstrates that ITM language education transpires in both formal and informal spaces for children or adults and that sometimes these spaces are online, where they become de-territorialized discourses of teaching and learning.' The volume brings together examples of ITM language education that are challenging the forces that flatten 'languacultures' into artefacts of history. It also examines the economic and material realities of the people who live in and through their 'languacultures', or who aspire to do as much. The book will be useful for educators and all those interested in Indigenous and minority language issues, as well as for a wide range of undergraduate, graduate and research contexts where topics of language education and minority rights are the focus.

The Circassian language is the heritage language (HL) of a small minority group in Israel. Since its classification as an endangered language around the globe, the focus has been put on effective maintenance programs. Changes in education methods within Circassian communities were inevitable. In Israel, the Circassian Maintenance Program is crucial in primary schools, where formal literacy instruction in the Circassian language begins in fifth grade. This study examined the agentic role of the Circassian literacy teacher in engaging students in learning their heritage language and its maintenance, as expressed in her attitudes, beliefs and knowledge and her classroom strategies. This three-month-long ethnographic data collection was conducted at the teacher’s study centre “Nal” (i.e., a treasure in Circassian). Data was gathered through classroom observations and semi-structured interviews with a Circassian HL teacher to understand her attitudes, beliefs and knowledge and to identify strategies to encourage student engagement in HL learning. In general, the teacher showed expertise in the HL and authentic use of it, as well as cultural and religious competence, adaptability, and flexibility. In addition, she encouraged children’s agency and autonomy and provided individualised support, integration of technology and reflective practice. The results indicated that a sense of identity, unity and belonging to the community are all held together by the pillar of HL knowledge. By engaging her students in translanguaging practices, the teacher promoted their awareness of language patterns, vocabulary and grammar in both Circassian and other languages of their wide linguistic repertoire (Hebrew, Arabic and English).

The series publishes state-of-the-art work on core areas of linguistics across theoretical frameworks as well as studies that provide new insights by building bridges to neighbouring fields such as neuroscience and cognitive science. The series considers itself a forum for cutting-edge research based on solid empirical data on language in its various manifestations, including sign languages. It regards linguistic variation in its synchronic and diachronic dimensions as well as in its social contexts as important sources of insight for a better understanding of the design of linguistic systems and the ecology and evolution of language.

Shekgalagadi is an endangered Bantu language of the Sotho cluster spoken in Botswana. While it is known that the language shows extensive regional variation, very little documentation exists of smaller, more remote varieties. This paper provides a first ever description of the northern-most Shekgalagadi variety known as Shetjhauba, spoken along the Okavango panhandle close to the Namibian border. Using original field data, I provide a grammatical sketch of Shetjhauba. First, the segmental phonology of Shetjhauba is described, providing an overview of its phonemic consonants and vowels, as well as a major morphophonological process that occurs in several morphological environments, referred to as “strengthening”. A striking difference between the phonology of Shetjhauba and that of previously described Shekgalagadi varieties is its extensive use of click phonemes. Secondly, the nominal and verbal morphology of Shetjhauba are discussed, giving insights into noun classes, nominal derivation, and various pronouns and agreeing modifiers. Shetjhauba also has an extensive verbal morphology, with various verbal derivational suffixes, and inflectional affixes marking tense, aspect, mood, negation, as well as subject and object.