Endangered languages, endangered knowledge

During the 1990s, the issues of language endangerment and loss of linguistic diversity around the world came to the forefront, sparking a mounting interest within linguistics for the documentation and revitalisation of languages at risk of disappearing. It also became apparent that the crisis of linguistic diversity was part of a larger crisis of the diversity of life on earth, encompassing linguistic, cultural, and biological diversity. Research showed that these various manifestations of the diversity of life strongly overlap in their distribution, and are connected and mutually supporting, and that the causes and consequences of diversity loss at all levels are also related. A close link between language and the environment was identified in traditional ecological knowledge. A variety of organisations and activities arose to foster the preservation of the world's languages as well as to promote a biocultural diversity approach to perpetuating the diversity of life. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, it is appropriate to review what has been accomplished so far, in terms of both research and policy, and to examine the characteristics that an integrated field of linguistic theory and practice should display to be fully equipped to deal with the language endangerment crisis. In order to get the message out, it is also appropriate to consider the integration of science with other forms of communication, including art.