Synopses & Reviews
Part travelogue and part scientist's notebook, The Last Speakers is the poignant chronicle of author K. David Harrison's expeditions around the world to meet with last speakers of vanishing languages. The speakers' eloquent reflections and candid photographs reveal little-known lifeways as well as revitalization efforts to teach disappearing languages to younger generations. Thought-provoking and engaging, this unique book illuminates the global language-extinction crisis through photos, graphics, interviews, traditional wisdom never before translated into English, and first-person essays that thrillingly convey the adventure of science and exploration.
About the Author
K. David Harrison is assistant professor of linguistics at Swarthmore College. As a linguist and specialist in Siberian Turkic languages, he has spent many months in Siberia and Mongolia studying the languages and traditions of nomadic herders. Harrison's work includes not only scientific descriptions of languages, but also storybooks, translations and digital archives for native speaker communities. Harrison makes frequent appearances before college, high school, and other public audiences.