Meet
an Endangered Language
Half
of the world's 7,000 languages are under threat from larger
languages.
In this series of short presentations you will come face-to-face with four endangered languages, learn
about where they are spoken and why they are threatened, experience their culture - as well as learn
some basic words and phrases.
Presentations are free of charge and open to anyone who is interested in endangered languages.
Time and Location: All sessions will be held from
1 to 1:40pm in The Endangered Languages Archive, Room R201 (near
the 2nd floor stairs, SOAS main building),
 Gamilaraay - spoken in southeast Australia
with Peter Austin
Monday 23 February, 1.15pm-2pm, R201
Gamilaraay is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Kamilaroi
people over a large area in the north-west of New South Wales. After a
tragic history of language loss, Gamilaraay (together with the related
Yuwaalaraay language) is now being revived and is being taught in
schools and used for a growing range of functions. We will look at the
sociolinguistic situation, current revival activities and learn some basic
words and everyday expressions.
 Guernésiais - spoken on Guernsey
with Julia Sallabank
Tuesday 24 February, 1.15pm-2pm,
R201
Guernesiais, a variety of Norman French, is highly endangered.
According to the 2001 census, there were 1,327 fluent speakers or
just 2.22% of the population (and 70.4% of them were over 64). This
presentation will include a short language lesson, some cultural
images and videos, and discuss recent examples of revitalisation
measures in support of the language.
 Khanty - spoken in northwest Siberia
with Irina Nikolaeva
Wednesday 25 February, 1.15pm-2pm, R201
The Khanty at present constitute one of the smallest ethnic groups in
Russia. They live in the northwestern part of Siberia, along the lower and
the middle reaches of the river Ob and on its tributaries. The Khanty
language belongs to the Ugric group of the Uralic language family and is
now spoken by about 13,000 people. The Khanty have a very
sophisticated tradition of oral folklore and we will look at some typical
examples.
 Eleme - spoken in southeast Nigeria
with Oliver Bond
Thursday 26 February, 1.15pm-2pm, R201
Since the discovery of oil in the Niger Delta in the 1958, high levels of
migration into Eleme territory by other ethnic groups have made a
sizeable impact on Eleme society. The presence of non-Elemes hoping to
find work within the chemical industries has affected the social importance
of Eleme identity, raising concerns over the retention of cultural practices
and language use. In this session we will look at oral narratives and the
endangered songs that are sung by the audience at storytelling sessions.
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