Opening Reception for "Languages at the Brink: Threatened Languages and How We Protect Them"

Please join us for the opening reception for Languages at the Brink: Threatened Languages and How We Protect Them, an exhibit by Cornell University Library's Kroch Asia Collections, in partnership with the Department of Linguistics at Cornell.

This exhibit will explore the causes of threats to languages, as well as the ways in which people organize to protect and preserve endangered languages. It will showcase how Cornell and Cornell University Library are participating in the preservation of acutely endangered languages, with a focus on the Northern Iroquoian language Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ, the preservation of the endangered Ainu language in Japan, Garifuna–an Arawakan language with Western African influence, Yiddish, and Welsh.

The opening will feature introductory remarks by Carl A. Kroch University Librarian Elaine L. Westbrooks, and a presentation by exhibit collaborator John Whitman, professor of linguistics at Cornell University, who will lead an interactive discussion about aspects of language endangerment and resilience. Whitman teaches the course Introduction to Language Endangerment and Revitalization. His main research interest is the problem of language variation: its limits (how much specific subsystems can vary across languages) and predictors (what typological features co-occur systematically). Exploration of this general problem has led him to work on historical linguistics and language acquisition in addition to his central interest in synchronic syntactic variation across typologically similar languages.

Languages at the Brink is part of a series of exhibits titled From the Brink: Contributions to a Sustainable Future from across Cornell, hosted by different libraries across Cornell University Library in close partnership with other departments and groups on campus. The series showcases collections, research support, and collaborative efforts across Cornell and illuminates ways of addressing issues of critical, global importance. This series of exhibits aims to stimulate conversations about the threat of environmental and cultural loss and its implications, while also offering insights about positive developments and constructive steps toward a healthier future for our planet and our communities.

From the Brink: Threatened Languages and How We Protect Them will be on display through May 2027 during all hours Kroch Library is open.