Catalogue of Endangered Languages

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The Catalogue of Endangered Languages (ELCat) is a major resource for information on the endangered languages of the world. It is available to the public via the Endangered Languages Project website.

Contents

Language information

The Catalogue of Endangered Languages provides information on each of the world's currently endangered languages. It provides information on:

  1. the languages' vitality (their prospects for continued use), such as number of speakers, trends in the number of speakers, intergenerational transmission
  2. the language's spheres of use
  3. locations, where they are spoken
  4. the social, linguistic, economic, political, and geographic context of each endangered language.

The information about each endangered language in ELCat comes from published sources and direct communications from individuals with specialized knowledge of specific endangered languages. All information provided in the Catalogue is referenced to its original source (e.g. journal article, book, personal communication, etc.), and information from multiple different sources is provided for each language, where available.

Users of the Endangered Languages Project website are encouraged to contribute suggestions for improving the information in the Catalogue. All user suggestions are reviewed by Regional Directors, specialists in the languages of specific regions of the globe. [1]

Discoveries made as the Catalogue was created have resulted in new knowledge about the world's languages. For example, on the one hand, many languages included in other reference works proved spurious, either not to exist or not to be distinct from other languages, and were removed; on the other hand, ELCat has added 260 new languages not identified by the ISO 639-3 standard. ELCat has found that 45% of all currently-spoken languages are endangered, based on the 3116 still-spoken endangered languages in ELCat compared to the 6861 still-living languages listed by Ethnologue. ELCat finds that 299 languages have fewer than 10 speakers and that 792 are "critically" or "severely" endangered. Importantly, contrary to the often-repeated claim that a language becomes extinct every two weeks, ELCat discovered that on average about one language each three months becomes extinct, about 4 per year. [2]

Background and personnel

The Catalogue of Endangered Languages was developed by the linguistics departments at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM) and Eastern Michigan University (EMU) between 2011 and 2016. The structure of ELCat was designed during the National Science Foundation-funded workshop on the Endangered Languages Information and Infrastructure Project (ELIIP), held at the University of Utah in 2009. The development ELCat was funded by the National Science Foundation and the Henry Luce Foundation, under the supervision of Principal Investigators Lyle Campbell (UHM) and Anthony Aristar, Helen Aristar-Dry, and later Veronica Grondona (EMU). [1] ELCat and the Endangered Languages Project website are now permanently housed at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, with ELCat under the direction of Gary Holton (UHM).

During its construction phase (2011-2016), ELCat was supervised by a board of Regional Directors, linguists with expertise in specific regions of the world. [1] From 2017 onward, the data in ELCat will be supervised by an International Board of Directors, a group of scholars with expertise in endangered languages, currently chaired by Bill Palmer (University of Newcastle, Australia).

Funded research to compile the bulk of the Catalogue ended in 2016; however, maintenance and hosting of the Catalogue's database and its contents will continue indefinitely at the University of Hawaii. This includes processing and implementation of user suggestions and feedback, as well as addition of information from newly available sources about endangered languages.

Language Endangerment Index (LEI)

The Language Endangerment Index (LEI) provides a numeric rating of a language's endangerment, based on four primary factors. These factors, and the levels and descriptions for each, are outlined below.

5 Critically endangered4 Severely endangered3 (Moderately) endangered2 Threatened1 Vulnerable0 Safe
Number1-910-99100-9991000-999910,000-99,999≥ 100,000
Transmissiononly a few elderly speakersMany of the grandparent generation speak the language, but the younger people generally do not.Some adults in the community are speakers, but the language is not spoken by children.Most adults in the community are speakers, but children generally are not.Most adults and some children are speakers.All members of the community, including children, speak the language.
TrendsA small percentage of the community speaks the language, and speaker numbers are decreasing very rapidly.Less than half of the community speaks the language, and speaker numbers are decreasing at an accelerated pace.Only about half of community members speak the language. Speaker numbers are decreasing steadily, but not at an accelerated pace.A majority of community members speak the language. Speaker numbers are gradually decreasing.Most members of the community speak the language. Speaker numbers may be decreasing, but very slowly.Almost all community members speak the language, and speaker numbers are stable or increasing.
DomainsUsed only in a few very specific domains, such as in ceremonies, songs, prayer, proverbs, or certain limited domestic activities.Used mainly just in the home and/or with family, and may not be the primary language even in these domains for many community members.Used mainly just in the home and/or with family, but remains the primary language of these domains for many community members.Used in some nonofficial domains along with other languages, and remains the primary language used in the home for many community members.Used in most domains except for official ones such as government, mass media, education, etc.Used in most domains, including official ones such as government, mass media, education, etc.

Intergenerational transmission is considered the most important factor in linguistic vitality, and is thus accorded twice the weight of each of the other factors in the scoring algorithm. The scores for each factor are compiled to produce a composite percentage; according to the percentage, the language is assigned to an endangerment level (e.g. a score of 72% would be LEI level 5, "Severely Endangered").

ELCat also assesses a confidence level for the LEI by calculating the number of factors used to compute the LEI. Again, the intergenerational transmission factor is weighted doubly in this calculation. An LEI which employs information from all four factors would thus have a confidence level of 100%, while an LEI which uses only the speaker numbers and intergenerational transmission factor would have a confidence level of 60%. [3]

Related Research Articles

Ethnologue: Languages of the World is an annual reference publication in print and online that provides statistics and other information on the living languages of the world. It is the world's most comprehensive catalogue of languages. It was first issued in 1951, and is now published by SIL International, an American evangelical Christian non-profit organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Endangered language</span> Language that is at risk of going extinct

An endangered language or moribund language is a language that is at risk of disappearing as its speakers die out or shift to speaking other languages. Language loss occurs when the language has no more native speakers and becomes a "dead language". If no one can speak the language at all, it becomes an "extinct language". A dead language may still be studied through recordings or writings, but it is still dead or extinct unless there are fluent speakers. Although languages have always become extinct throughout human history, they are currently dying at an accelerated rate because of globalization, mass migration, cultural replacement, imperialism, neocolonialism and linguicide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indigenous languages of the Americas</span>

The Indigenous languages of the Americas are the languages that were used by the Indigenous peoples of the Americas before the arrival of non-Indigenous peoples. Over a thousand of these languages are still used today, while many more are now extinct. The Indigenous languages of the Americas are not all related to each other, instead they are classified into a hundred or so language families, as well as a number of extinct languages that are unclassified due to the lack of information on them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caddoan languages</span> Family of Native American languages

The Caddoan languages are a family of languages native to the Great Plains spoken by tribal groups of the central United States, from present-day North Dakota south to Oklahoma. All Caddoan languages are critically endangered, as the number of speakers has declined markedly due to colonial legacy, lack of support, and other factors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yupik languages</span> Languages of the Yupik peoples

The Yupik languages are a family of languages spoken by the Yupik peoples of western and south-central Alaska and Chukotka. The Yupik languages differ enough from one another that they are not mutually intelligible, although speakers of one of the languages may understand the general idea of a conversation of speakers of another of the languages. One of them, Sirenik, has been extinct since 1997.

Kapóng is a Cariban language spoken mainly in Guyana, most commonly in the region of the Upper Mazaruni. Though many speakers do not live in villages, there are a number of population centers, notably Kamarang, Jawalla, Waramadong, and Kako. There are two dialects, Akawaio and Patamona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Language death</span> Process in which a language eventually loses its last native speaker

In linguistics, language death occurs when a language loses its last native speaker. By extension, language extinction is when the language is no longer known, including by second-language speakers, when it becomes known as an extinct language. A related term is linguicide, the death of a language from natural or political causes, and, rarely, glottophagy, the absorption or replacement of a minor language by a major language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oto-Manguean languages</span> Language family of Mexico and, previously, Central America

The Oto-Manguean or Otomanguean languages are a large family comprising several subfamilies of indigenous languages of the Americas. All of the Oto-Manguean languages that are now spoken are indigenous to Mexico, but the Manguean branch of the family, which is now extinct, was spoken as far south as Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Oto-Manguean is widely viewed as a proven language family. However, this status has been recently challenged.

Lyle Richard Campbell is an American scholar and linguist known for his studies of indigenous American languages, especially those of Central America, and on historical linguistics in general. Campbell is professor emeritus of linguistics at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

<i>Atlas of the Worlds Languages in Danger</i> UNESCO publication of endangered languages

The UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger was an online publication containing a comprehensive list of the world's endangered languages. It originally replaced the Red Book of Endangered Languages as a title in print after a brief period of overlap before being transferred to an online only publication.

Bauré is an endangered Arawakan language spoken by only 40 of the thousand Baure people of the Beni Department of northwest of Magdalena, Bolivia. Some Bible portions have been translated into Bauré. Most speakers have been shifting to Spanish.

Austral is an endangered Polynesian language or a dialect continuum that was spoken by approximately 8,000 people in 1987 on the Austral Islands and the Society Islands of French Polynesia. The language is also referred to as Tubuai-Rurutu, Tubuai, Rurutu-Tupuai, or Tupuai. It is closely related to other Tahitic languages, most notably Tahitian and Māori.

Rennell-Bellona, or Rennellese, is a Polynesian language spoken in the Rennell and Bellona Province of the Solomon Islands. A dictionary of the language has been published.

Horpa are a cluster of closely related Gyalrongic languages of China. Horpa is better understood as a cluster of closely related yet unintelligible dialect groups/languages closely related to Horpa Shangzhai or Stodsde skad. The term Stodsde skad is a Tibetan name meaning "language of the upper village".

Emae, Emwae or Mae language, is a Polynesian outlier language of Vanuatu.

Satawalese is a Micronesian language of the Federated States of Micronesia. It is nearly mutually intelligible with Mortlockese and Carolinian.

The LINGUIST List is an online resource for the academic field of linguistics. It was founded by Anthony Aristar in early 1990 at the University of Western Australia, and is used as a reference by the National Science Foundation in the United States. Its main and oldest feature is the premoderated electronic mailing list, with subscribers all over the world.

The Endangered Languages Project (ELP) is a worldwide collaboration between indigenous language organizations, linguists, institutions of higher education, and key industry partners to strengthen endangered languages. The foundation of the project is a website, which launched in June 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baduy language</span> Sundanesic language spoken by Baduy people

Baduy is one of the Sundanese-Baduy languages spoken predominantly by the Baduy people. It is conventionally considered a dialect of Sundanese, but it is often considered a separate language due to its diverging vocabulary and cultural reasons that differ from the rest of the Sundanese people. Native speakers of the Baduy language are spread in regions around the Mount Kendeng, Rangkasbitung district of Lebak Regency and Pandeglang Regency, Banten Province, Indonesia. It is estimated that there are 11,620 speakers as of 2015.

Jedek is an Aslian language from the Austroasiatic family first reported in 2017. Jedek speakers describe themselves as ethnic Menriq or Batek to outsiders, but their language, although very closely related, is distinct from these languages.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Lyle Campbell; John Van Way; Nala Lee. "About ELCat".[ dead link ]
  2. ↑ Campbell, Lyle, Raina Heato, Nala Lee, Eve Okra, Sean Simpson, Kaori Ueki, and John Van Way. 2013. New knowledge: Findings from the Catalogue of Endangered Languages. Paper presented at the 3rd International Conference on Language Documentation and Conservation. Honolulu, February 28. http://hdl.handle.net/10125/26145
  3. ↑ Lee, Nala; Van Way, John (2016). "Assessing levels of endangerment in the Catalogue of Endangered Languages (ELCat) using the Language Endangerment Index (LEI)". Language in Society. Cambridge. 45 (2): 271–292. doi:10.1017/S0047404515000962. S2CID   147030515 . Retrieved 11 July 2016.
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