It is estimated that there are 7000 languages on earth. But the vast majority of them are actually spoken by very few people. So few that many are threatened with extinction. When the last speakers of a language die, and transmission has not taken place, a language can disappear.
Faced with this reality, researchers in linguistics are mobilising to help document, transmit and thus preserve these endangered languages. Claudine Chamoreau, director of research at the CNRS, member of the Structure and Dynamics of Languages laboratory (SeDyL), and of the Labex EFL, has worked and is still working to defend certain minority languages of Central America.
Let's talk to her to better understand her work and the issues related to endangered languages.
🎵 Good listening ! 🔊
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