Travels Among Threatened Languages - Annotated Bibliography Example

This Victorian-era work is a broad stroke examination of the cultural history and practices of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia. It provides a quite detailed look at native languages and details specific phonological and grammatical aspects that have challenged English speakers. This venerable book presents an interesting overview of factors that aggravated the racist impulses of the ruling Anglo-Australian society. This work utilizes the work of linguists and anthropologists from around the world who have studied the demise of native languages in Australia.

It pays special attention to the particular social contexts in which Aboriginal languages have been used and are used today. Languages are examined from a largely functional standpoint and from the perspective that government policies have damaged the vast majority past the point of reclamation. This seminal report is one of the most comprehensive compilations of the latest data concerning the state of Aboriginal languages. It presents a chronological account of the erosion of Aboriginal lifestyles and cultural traditions.

It paints a bleak picture of the state of native languages in Australia, though it doesn’t waver from a strictly fact-based recitation. Co-written by an anthropologist and linguist, this book focuses on the close relationship between the environment, culture, and language. This highly academic work makes a convincing case for the preservation of native languages, explaining what is at stake in a world where more languages are at risk than ever before. The authors make the interesting point that losing native languages is wasteful in that rich scientific knowledge is lost forever.

Schmidt’s disciplined academic approach to the subject includes an analysis of efforts to preserve and revive Aboriginal languages. One of the book’s most useful features is the social models Schmidt posits as a means of explaining how cultural bias undermines a challenged language and affects the ways in which its native speakers come to regard it in relation to a more successful competing language tradition. Tsunoda’s book considers the factors that touch on language endangerment in all parts of the world.

It also deals with attempts to recover extinct languages and looks at how negative public perceptions affect efforts to bring such languages back into general use. Tsunoda also illustrates recent changes in the field of linguistics in light of the growing awareness of language endangerment throughout the world. This locally-focused study investigates details concerning how Aboriginal languages are passed on to the young and looks at what resources are available to young learners. This book is also quite successful in placing the subject in its native landscape, reviewing the inextricable link between Aboriginals and their ancient lands.

Their languages are seen as tangible manifestations of this symbiotic relationship, which may have much to teach us about the nature of language and secrets for its preservation. Wheeler makes several interesting points about the growing gulf between the results of linguistic research and widely held views about the importance of “minority” languages. The book uses specific, contemporary examples to illustrate how previously disregarded or trivialized elements of native languages are not only important to their long-term survival but also to the cultural well-being of all societies.