Teaching Endangered Languages Against the Odds

Join us on April 4 at 6:30 for Teaching Endangered Languages Against the Odds, part of our continuing event series Unheard Of! Languages and Literatures from Around the World. It’s free and open all to all — just let us know you’re coming by RSVPing here. The location is ELA’s office in Manhattan at 3 W 18th Street (6th Floor), close to Union Square and a variety of public transit options.

Most of the world’s languages are not regularly taught in schools and universities, but rely on speaker-teachers doing their best in informal community settings, often with little support and few materials.

Since its founding, ELA has hosted community language classes for Lenape, Quechua, Kichwa, Breton, Nahuatl, Hawaiian, Tibetan, and K’iche’. Many other languages are taught at after-school programs, religious institutions, community centers, and other venues across New York.

What special challenges are involved in teaching endangered, primarily oral, and less commonly taught languages? What is the impact on the study and transmission of these languages?

Sit in on a candid sharing session with teachers of Kurmanji, Nepali, Juhuri, Garifuna, and Quechua, together with linguists and learners.

FREE AND OPEN TO ALL. With support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

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