An encyclopedia of once-common things passing us by.

(You can buy the lovely book version too.)

 

 

At the end of the day, language death is, ironically, a symptom of people coming together. Globalization means hitherto isolated peoples migrating and sharing space. For them to do so and still maintain distinct languages across generations happens only amidst unusually tenacious self-isolation—such as that of the Amish—or brutal segregation.

John McWhorter in the journal World Affairs (Why Save Dying Languages? - Idea of the Day Blog - NYTimes.com)

Notes

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