ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book deals with the general state of endangered languages today in some large regions of the world, such as Australia, Brazil, Central Asia, and Northern Africa, and offers ‘some good news’. It discusses the theoretical analysis of factors that support language maintenance, with particular reference to the role of new media, historical materials, intergenerational communication in the home, the classification and measurement of vitality, the role of scholars, and the ethical issues facing fieldworkers. The book then brings together a series of empirical studies towards sustainable language maintenance and use, focusing on advances in overcoming challenges, comparisons that confirm best practices, and sustainable strategies for keeping languages in use.
