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Linguists, UNESCO, endangered languages

Linguists, UNESCO, endangered languages. Presentation by Anahit Minasyan Section for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, UNESCO. Timeline. Main actors and stakeholders. a) Member States (governments) b) Epistemic community(linguists, anthropologists)

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Linguists, UNESCO, endangered languages

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  1. Linguists, UNESCO, endangered languages Presentation by Anahit Minasyan Section for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, UNESCO

  2. Timeline

  3. Main actors and stakeholders a) Member States (governments) b) Epistemic community(linguists, anthropologists) c) Speakers (grassroots NGOs, activists, indigenous groups) d) UNESCO Secretariat (international civil servants and national project officers)

  4. Epistemic community Rationale: high esteem of scientific authority, legitimizing public action of governments and organizations Modalities within UNESCO • soliciting contributions to documents (reports, policy guidelines, position papers, etc.) • soliciting participation in ‘expert meetings’ aiming to shed light on specific questions • involving in Committees, Evaluation Panels or as consultants to tackle a particular research task or manage a project

  5. Selected expert meetings organized by UNESCO’s Culture Sector

  6. A typical discourse production-diffusion-interpretation cycle

  7. Language Vitality and Endangerment paper

  8. UNESCO Atlas of Languages in Danger: Three Print Editions (1996, 2001, 2010) • First edition – 1996 - in English, French and Spanish. 600 languages on 53 pages, 12 maps. • Second updated edition – 2001- in English only. 800 languages on 90 pages, 14 maps. • Third edition - 2010 – in English, French and Spanish. 2500 languages on 154 pages, 62 maps. • For each language, the print Atlas provides: • - name • degree of endangerment  • country or countries where it is spoken.

  9. Online Atlas Phase 1 (2008): intensive data collection and collation by an expert group

  10. researching and consolidating data • inputting data in the online tool • locating languages on the map • discussing over email: regional editors concerned + editor-in-chief + UNESCO

  11. Phase 2 (2009-20012) - ‘crowd-reviewing’: feedback and content production by public, mediated by experts • over 1000 user comments and suggestions submitted through various channels in 2009 – 2012 • majority from speakers of listed languages

  12. Overview of comments

  13. 375 updates, by type

  14. Closed’ comments (no modification) Comment 699 about Soyot language (Russian Federation) marked as extinct in the Atlas. The user suggested that during a research project, he saw Soyot was taught at school and that school teachers could speak the language. • The regional editor confirmed these efforts to revitalize the language since the 1970’s but also observed that these attempts are yet to produce measurable impact. • After deliberation between the Regional Editor and the Editor–in-chief, it was decided not to amend the entry.

  15. ‘Validated’ comments - Bashkarik

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