ABSTRACT
This chapter identifies endangered languages of especially high priority for research efforts based on criteria measurable in Catalogue of Endangered Languages. Triage implies, given limited resources, that some endangered languages must be left longer in the waiting room than languages of higher priority, pending the availability of qualified researchers and funding. There are of course many factors that need to be taken into account when making recommendations for endangered languages research in addition to the vitality of a given language. The chapter analyses "lack of accessibility" to deal with practical concerns relating to location and looks at projected vitality. It outlines "genetic classification interest" to identify particularly endangered language families and isolates; and explores "narrowing by existence of documentation" to discuss under-documented languages. The pool of possible languages to target for linguistic triage was narrowed by four factors: location, age of the vitality data, genetic affiliation, and level of documentation.
