Amazon.com Review
From The Last Speakers
Click on the photos below to open larger images.
Cyril Ninnal, of the Yek Nangu clan, relates the Murrinh-Patha dreaming story of the headless man depicted here in ancient rock art near Wadeye, Northern Territory, Australia.
Photo by K. David Harrison Monchaks of western Mongolia sing to goats while milking them.
Photo by Kelly J. Richardson Christina Yimasinant, of the Yimas people, a speaker of the endangered Karim language, Karawari region, Papua New Guinea.
Photo by Chris Rainier Luis Kolisi, a speaker of the endangered Yokoim language of Papua New Guinea.
Photo by Chris Rainier
Antonio Condori (left), with his son Illarion Ramos Condori (center), both Kallawaya healers, talking with K. David Harrison (right) in Chary village, northern Bolivia, June 2007.
Photo by Gregory Anderson Linguists K. David Harrison and Greg Anderson with Charlie Mangulda, the last known Amurdag speaker, in Mount Borradaile, Australia.
Photo by Chris Rainier Linguist K. David Harrison working in Matugar village, Madang province, Papua New Guinea, with Panau speakers John Agid (left) and Hickey Willie (right). Panau is spoken by fewer than 500 people.
Photo by Chris Rainier Nedmit, a speaker of the endangered Monchak language in Mongolia, demonstrates to linguist K. David Harrison how to make a horse hobble.
Photo by Kelly J. Richardson
From Booklist
Parallel to the extinction of biological species in our world, human languages are disappearing one by one. These tongues originated over millennia inside geographically isolated communities for whom modern methods of transportation and communication have proven mixed blessings. Harrison details the work of linguists who are speeding to preserve these tongues for posterity. He travels to Siberia to meet Aunt Marta, one of the last speakers of Tofa, a Turkic tongue. Although a scientist and a rigorous analyst of language grammars and structures, Harrison is particularly intrigued by the personalities of these mostly elderly yet fully engaged people who bravely face the end of what has been a nurturing society. Harrison compellingly details reasons why the rest of the world ought to care about these vanishing languages and what can be done to ensure that they live on despite the irresistible ascendancy of todayβs rapidly evolving world culture. --Mark Knoblauch