ABSTRACT
In recent years there has been a marked upsurge internationally in concern about the issue of language endangerment – by communities of speakers of endangered languages (ELs), the media, and among linguists. This increased attention has stemmed from a growing realization that the world’s linguistic resources are rapidly shrinking. Estimates such as the widely quoted prediction that perhaps only 10% of the approximately 6000 languages in the world today could be classified as ‘safe’, while 10% are nearly extinct and 20% are moribund (Krauss 1992:6) highlight diminishing linguistic and cultural diversity and the loss of indigenous knowledge.
