Naslov
Review of "Creating Orthographies for Endangered Languages", eds. Mari C. Jones and Damien Mooney, Cambridge University Press, 2017, first paperback edition 2020, 333 p.

Autori
Matticchio, Isabella

Izvornik
Philologica Jassyensia (1841-5377) 37 (2023), 1; 302-306

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, prikaz, stručni

Ključne riječi
Endangered languages ; Orthography ; Community of speakers

Sažetak
This is a review of "Creating Orthographies for Endangered Languages", edited by Mari C. Jones and Damien Mooney (Cambridge University Press, 2017, first paperback edition 2020, 333 p.). Many endangered languages (further on EL) are not written, while others have a long-written tradition (e.g. Sardinian, see Chapter 10) and an extensive literature has already been produced. However, many of them often lack a standardized orthography, which in the case of more local varieties becomes even a bigger challenge to create (e.g., the Istriot spoken in Istria). Having a standardized orthography can help to preserve a language, which can then be more easily taught and (eventually) maintained. Having an orthography could be helpful to create texts and databases that, with the help of technology, could preserve EL. However, the creation of an orthography is a difficult and complex task that requires many linguistic and extralinguistic decisions to be made, and for which the collaboration between native speakers and expert linguists is mandatory, as the volume we present here shows. The collective volume Creating Orthographies for Endangered Languages edited by Mari C. Jones and Damien Mooney deals precisely with the important task of creating an orthography system for endangered languages. The book considers different case studies reported both by academics and by members of indigenous communities and it arises important questions in the field of EL and language revitalization both by providing interesting considerations on the challenge of developing an orthography for EL and by considering linguistic and extra-linguistic factors involved in this process.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Filologija

POVEZANOST RADA