#language preservation

Lingthusiasm Episode 107: Urban Multilingualism

When we try to represent languages on a map, it's common to assign each language a zone or a point which represents some idea of where it's used or where it comes from. But in reality, people move around, and many cities are host to hundreds of languages that don't show up on official records.

In this episode, your hosts Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne get enthusiastic about urban multilingualism! We talk about a recent book we've been enjoying called Language City by Ross Perlin, about the over 700 languages spoken in New York City, as well as how we've noticed urban multilingualism for ourselves in Melbourne, Montreal, and elsewhere. We also talk about organizations that work with communities interested in reclaiming space for their languages, what linguistic rights are, and how to tell if yours are being taken away from you.

Click here for a link to this episode in your podcast player of choice or read the transcript here.

Announcements:

In this month’s bonus episode we get enthusiastic about linguistic landscapes! We talk about contrasts between the signs in the Chinatowns of Montreal and Melbourne, renaming streets from colonial names to names in First Nations languages, how signs can show the shifting demographics of tourism in an area, and how bi- and multilingual Lost Cat signs show what languages people think their neighbours understand. We also talk about our most absurd sign stories, including the Russell Family Apology Plaque, and creative imaginings of official signage, such as the Latin no-smoking sign in a modern-day British train station.

Join us on Patreon now to get access to this and 100+ other bonus episodes. You’ll also get access to the Lingthusiasm Discord server where you can chat with other language nerds.

Here are the links mentioned in the episode:

'Language City: The Fight to Preserve Endangered Mother Tongues in New York' by Ross Perlin on Bookshop and Amazon

Wikipedia entry for N'Ko script

Endangered Language Alliance

The Endangered Languages Project Mentor Program

Wikitongues

Living Tongues Language Sustainability Toolkit

Living Languages

The Global Coalition for Language Rights Global Language Advocacy Days

The GCLR Statement on Understanding and Defending Language Rights

How we Created the GCLR’s Statement on Understanding and Defending Language Rights

Say it with Respect: A Journalists’ Guide to Reporting on Indigenous and Minoritized Languages

Living Dictionaries

Gretchen's thread on Living Dictionaries

Lingthusiasm bonus episode ‘Linguistic Advice - Challenging grammar snobs, finding linguistics community, accents in singing, and more’

You can listen to this episode via Lingthusiasm.com, Soundcloud, RSS, Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also download an mp3 via the Soundcloud page for offline listening.

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Lingthusiasm is on Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Mastodon, and Tumblr. Email us at contact [at] lingthusiasm [dot] com

Gretchen is on Bluesky as @GretchenMcC and blogs at All Things Linguistic.

Lauren is on Bluesky as @superlinguo and blogs at Superlinguo.

Lingthusiasm is created by Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne. Our senior producer is Claire Gawne, our production editor is Sarah Dopierala, our production assistant is Martha Tsutsui Billins, our editorial assistant is Jon Kruk, and our technical editor is Leah Velleman. Our music is ‘Ancient City’ by The Triangles.

"Why don't you just learn [mutually intelligible more widely spoken dialect] instead??? 😀😀😀"

Because. That's. Not. My. Language.

This is indigemisia and anti-african/afromisia(?)! This rhetoric is pro-colonialism via assimilation and erasure of Indigenous African languages. (Hope I worded this well... I'm eepy.)

A five-year, $15-million funding commitment from the federal government will help give the Michif language "a chance to survive and to prosper," the Manitoba Métis Federation says. The federation and the federal government formally announced the funding agreement at the Manitoba Métis Federation office in Winnipeg on Thursday afternoon. Michif, a Métis language spoken in parts of Canada and the U.S. that combines elements of Cree, French and other languages, is "critically endangered," the Métis Federation says.

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