PERSPECTIVES ON THE GLOBAL LANGUAGE EXTINCTION CRISIS: THE OKLAHOMA AND EASTERN SIBERIA LANGUAGE HOTSPOTS

Abstract

Language endangerment, linguistic diversity, and levels of documentation are not evenly distributed around the world. One must consider all three of these logically independent factors when making agendas for future research and funding allocation, since many of the world's languages will be lost this century. In other words, given the finite amount of time and potential financial and human resources that are likely ever to be available to address the global language extinction crisis before it is too late, I have identified priority areas where linguists need to focus their collective efforts in documentary linguistics. These are the so-called language hotspots and reflect areas where there are concentrations of endangered, diverse and poorly documented languages. Roughly two dozen such hotspots have been identified to date. The criteria for establishing language hotspots are introduced here and two such hotspots exemplified in brief. These are the Oklahoma and Eastern Siberia language hotspots.

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