3000 languages are currently at risk of becoming extinct. This amounts to approximately half of all living languages. Search engine giant Google recently launched a website designed to help save endangered languages. On this website, each language has its own page, listing facts such as number of speakers, areas where the language is spoken, and dialects. In addition, the portal serves as a forum for gathering audio samples and contributions from scholars, as well as for putting native speakers in touch with each other. Although engaging itself heavily in the implementation of this project, Google will soon be handing over the reins to the First Peoples’ Cultural Council and the Institute for Language Information & Technology.
- Language focus
