Happy International Mother Language Day!
We’re celebrating with the launch of ELA Co-Director Ross Perlin’s new book Language City: The Fight to Preserve Endangered Mother Tongues in New York.
The book is about the past, present, and future of the most linguistically diverse place in history, New York City, as told through ELA’s work at the Endangered Language Alliance. It focuses on the stories of six speakers who’ve brought their endangered languages to the city from very different parts of the world.
More broadly it’s about the paradox of how cities everywhere are becoming last-minute refuges in an age of language loss, even as the future of immigration, diaspora, and difference hang in the balance.
Support ELA’s work by buying the book at your local bookstore or via Bookshop.org (on sale!), or of course Barnes & Noble, Amazon etc. Audiobook and ebook coming soon. Send copies to friends who love languages, cities, cultures, or just nonfiction!