Speaking in Tongues: The History of Language poster

Basic Info

First Air: April 04, 2008

Status: Ended

Seasons & Episodes

Seasons: 1

Episodes: 5

Last Episode

Name: Life and Death

Season: 1, Episode: 5

Air Date: 2008-05-02

Runtime: 48 min

It is predicted that within a century more than half of the worlds languages will become extinct, but as languages are lost, new ones emerge naturally or are constructed. In this program, Noam Chomsky; Esperantist Thomas Eccard; endangered languages researcher Peter Ladefoged, and others provide insights into the language life cycle. Topics include constructed languages such as Esperanto, language endangerment and preservation, and the role of globalization in language obsolescence. The experts also discuss current language trends and offer their opinions on which languages may emerge as front-runners in the future.

Videos

Speaking in Tongues: The History of Language - Episode One - Let There Be Words - Preview (Vimeo)

Speaking in Tongues: The History of Language

2008 1 seasons 5 episodes

Overview

Currently there are more than 6,000 languages spoken around the world. This five-part series traces the history and evolution of language and attendant theories and controversies while evaluating the scope of linguistic diversity, the dissemination of language, the expansion of language into written form, and the life cycle of language.