On 16th June, Nick Ostler, Mark Turin and I participated in a packed symposium at Gresham College in London (founded in 1597 and the capital’s oldest Higher Education Institution — read about its fascinating history here).
The Symposium was entitled Rare and Endangered Languages, and the topics of our talks were as follows:
Nick Ostler “Why should we protect endangered languages?”
Mark Turin “Collect, Protect, Connect: Documenting the Voices of Vanishing Worlds”
Peter Austin “Language documentation and revitalisation: where are we now?”
Gresham College regulars Tim Connell and Michael Mainelli (who bears the enviable title “Emeritus Mercers’ School Memorial Professor of Commerce”) also took part — Tim introduced the Symposium and Michael chaired a round table discussion at the end. Video and audio recordings of all the talks, plus transcripts and Powerpoint slide decks can be accessed and/or downloaded from the Symposium website.
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