Abstract: Half of the world’s languages are endangered and may go extinct in this century. The loss of these languages will have dire consequences not only for their speakers, but also for culture, science, and the environment. Around the world, speakers of endangered languages are mounting strategic efforts to save their languages. This presentation features photos and video clips of speakers of some of the world’s most endangered languages, from Siberia, India, the USA and other locations, and will demonstrate how indigenous activists and linguists are working to sustain languages through technology and art.

About the Speaker: Anthropologist and linguist David Harrison has been a National Geographic Explorer and co-director of the Society’s Enduring Voices Project (2007-2013), documenting endangered languages and cultures around the world. He has done extensive fieldwork with indigenous communities from Siberia and Mongolia to Bolivia, India, Micronesia, and Vanuatu. His global research is the subject of the Emmy-nominated documentary film The Linguists, and his work has been featured in numerous publications including The New York Times, USA Today, The Economist, and Science. David’s books on language diversity have been published by Oxford Press and National Geographic Books, and have been translated into Arabic, Japanese, and Spanish. His work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, Explorers Club, and National Geographic. David is Vice Provost and professor in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, VinUniversity.