Linguists, UNESCO, endangered languages

Presentation by Anahit MinasyanSection for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, UNESCO

Timeline

Year Dedicated initiative Related initiative

1992 Launch of UNESCO’s ELP CIPL congress & call

1994 Red book of endangered languages

1996 1st edition of the Atlas

2001 2nd edition of the Atlas Univeral declaration on cultural diversity

2002-2003

UNESCO Ad Hoc Group on endangered languages

2003 Language Vitality and Endangerment paper

Convention on intangible heritage

2007 Declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples

2008 UN Resolution on Multilingualism

2009 3rd edition of the AtlasGC debate on possible Convention

World Culture Report

Main actors and stakeholdersMain actors and stakeholders

a) Member States (governments)b) Epistemic community(linguists,

anthropologists)c) Speakers (grassroots NGOs,

activists, indigenous groups)

d) UNESCO Secretariat (international civil servants and national project officers)

Epistemic communityEpistemic communityRationale: high esteem of scientific authority, legitimizing public action of governments and organizations

Modalities within UNESCO•soliciting contributions to documents (reports, policy guidelines, position papers, etc.)•soliciting participation in ‘expert meetings’ aiming to shed light on specific questions •involving in Committees, Evaluation Panels or as consultants to tackle a particular research task or manage a project

Selected expert meetings organized by UNESCO’s Culture Sector

Year Meeting

1997 International expert meeting on language policies in Africa (Harare)

2003 International expert meeting on endangered languages (Paris)

2005-2006

Reigional expert meetings in Bamako and Addid Ababa

2007 Expert meeting on language mapping (Paris)

2011 Expert meeting to review LVE (Paris)

A typical discourse production-diffusion-interpretation cycle

Actor Action

Epistemic community produces and popularizes a particular idea or an argument

Governments interpret/develop it into programmatic or normative texts, policies and measures (national level); resolutions and norms (international level)

UNESCO / UN staff interpret/develop it into advocacy texts, reports, guidelines; support implementation of norms

Speaker communities appropriate and use to substantiate their claims for language rights and status, and/or to secure funding for their safeguarding efforts, provide feedback

Language Vitality and Endangerment paper Language Vitality and Endangerment paper

UNESCO Atlas of Languages in UNESCO Atlas of Languages in Danger: Three Print Editions Danger: Three Print Editions (1996, 2001, 2010)(1996, 2001, 2010) First edition – 1996 - in English, French and Spanish. 600 languages on 53 pages, 12 maps.

Second updated edition – 2001- in English only.800 languages on 90 pages, 14 maps.

Third edition - 2010 – in English, French and Spanish. 2500 languages on 154 pages, 62 maps.

For each language, the print Atlas provides:

- name - degree of endangerment - country or countries

where it is spoken.

Online Atlas Phase 1 (2008): intensive data Online Atlas Phase 1 (2008): intensive data collection and collation by an expert groupcollection and collation by an expert group

- researching and consolidating data- inputting data in the online tool- locating languages on the map- discussing over email: regional editors concerned + editor-in-chief + UNESCO

Phase 2 (2009-20012) - ‘crowd-reviewing’: feedback Phase 2 (2009-20012) - ‘crowd-reviewing’: feedback and content production by public, mediated by and content production by public, mediated by expertsexperts

over 1000 user

comments and

suggestions

submitted

through various

channels in 2009

– 2012

majority from

speakers of listed

languages

Overview of commentsComment status

% Treatment stage

Under treatment

37% UNESCO: accept / reject (offensive, nonsensical, duplicates)Editor-in-Chief : accept & forward to regional editor / closeRegional editor(s) in consultation with Editor-in-Chief : verify & suggest update / verify and close; reply to authorUNESCO: validate, update online Atlas

Treated 63% Rejected by UNESCO : 7 %Closed by Editorial Board : 51 %Validated by Board & reflected in online Atlas : 42 %

Total 100%  100%

375 updates, by type

Closed’ comments (no modification)

Comment 699 about Soyot language (Russian Federation) marked as extinct in the Atlas. The user suggested that during a research project, he saw Soyot was taught at school and that school teachers could speak the language.

•The regional editor confirmed these efforts to revitalize the language since the 1970’s but also observed that these attempts are yet to produce measurable impact. •After deliberation between the Regional Editor and the Editor–in-chief, it was decided not to amend the entry.

‘Validated’ comments - Bashkarik

Degree of endangerment Severely endangered Definitely endangered

Number of speakers Approximately1500 Estimated 40 000 speakers

Alternate name(s) Gawri; Kalami; Kalkoti (dialect) Gawri; Kalami

Iso-code(s) gwc, xka gwc

Bibliography Joan L.G. Baart and Muhammad Zaman Sagar (2004): Kalam Kohistani Texts. Islamabad: National Institute of Pakistan Studies and Summer Institute of Linguistics.

Coordinates lat : 35.2893; long : 72.6168 lat : 35.5222 ; long : 72.5817