Endangered Languages Project

The ELP was launched in June 2012 with the intention of being a "comprehensive, up-to-date source of information on the endangered languages of the world" according to the director of the Catalogue of Endangered Languages (ELCat), Lyle Campbell, a professor of linguistics in the Mānoa College of Languages, Linguistics and Literature. He expressed that the "... Catalogue is needed to support documentation and revitalization of endangered languages, to inform the public and scholars, to aid members of groups whose languages are in peril, and to call attention to the languages most critically in need of conservation.” For example, the organization classifies the Canadian Métis language Michif as critically endangered due to the declining number of its fluent speakers.{{Cite web|last=Wenz|first=John|date=September 1, 2020|title=The Fragile State of "Contact Languages"|url=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200901-the-fragile-state-of-contact-languages|access-date=October 3, 2020|website=www.bbc.com}}

File:Engraving at Batoche Cemetery (Michif version).jpg on an engraving in Batoche, Saskatchewan]]

There were four founding partners who oversaw the website's development and launchFirst Peoples' Cultural Council, Eastern Michigan University,University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Department of Linguistics and Google.org. Today, it is primarily led by two of its founding partners, First Peoples' Cultural Council and University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa in coordination with the Governance Council.

The goals of the ELP are to foster exchange of information related to at-risk languages and accelerate endangered language research and documentation, to support communities engaged in protecting or revitalizing their languages. Users of the website play an active role in putting their languages online by submitting information or samples in the form of text, audio, links or video files.{{cite web |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/new-google-site-aims-to-save-endangered-languages-1.1130152 |title=New Google site aims to save endangered languages |author= Kazi Stastna |publisher=CBC News|date=2012-06-26 }} Once uploaded to the website, users can tag their submissions by resource category to ensure they are easily searchable. Current resource categories include:

1. Language Research and Linguistics
2. Language Revitalization
3. Language Materials
4. Language Education
5. Language Advocacy and Awareness
6. Language, Culture and Art
7. Language and Technology
8. Media

Languages included on the website and the information displayed about them are provided by the Catalogue of Endangered Languages (ELCat), developed by the linguistics departments at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and Eastern Michigan University.{{cite book |last1=Campbell |first1=Lyle |last2=Belew |first2=Anna|title=Cataloguing the World's Endangered Languages|date=2017|publisher=Routledge|location=London}} The catalogue's goal is to continuously improve. While the catalogue began with existing publications, the ELP sought out experts to fill in incomplete entries and correct any mistakes. Users that are knowledgeable about a specific language that is appropriate for the ELCat are encouraged to submit information pertaining to the improvement or submission of a particular language entry.{{cite web |title=About the Catalogue of Endangered Languages |url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7vQLUpU_2qcVEVqNzFKWFA2cUk/view |publisher=University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa |access-date=10 October 2020}} The organization's website also offers an interactive map to present the origin for these languages around the world.{{cite news |last1=Gottlieb |first1=Benjamin |title=Google Fights for Endangered Languages |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/google-fights-for-endangered-languages/2012/06/21/gJQAXbs5sV_blog.html?noredirect=on |access-date=9 October 2020 |agency=The Washington Post |date=June 21, 2012}}

As of 2020, the ELP has catalogued over 3000 endangered languages in its ELCat covering 180 countries/territories throughout the world. Some of these languages include Nubi, Irish, Orok, Welsh, Swedish Sign Language, and Boruca. There are 360 endangered languages catalogued in Australia, alone.{{cite web |title=Languages |url=http://endangeredlanguages.com/lang/region |website=Endangered Languages Project |access-date=9 October 2020}} The ELP states that "over 40 percent of the approximately 7,000 languages worldwide are in danger of becoming extinct."{{cite web |title=Endangered Languages Project |url=http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/about/ |website=Endangered Languages Project}}

In 2018, members of the ELCat team published a book about the project, titled Cataloguing the World's Endangered Languages.>{{cite book |editor1-last=Campbell |editor1-first=Lyle |editor2-last=Belew |editor2-first=Anna |title=Cataloguing the world's endangered languages |date=30 June 2020 |publisher=Routledge |location=Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon |isbn=9780367580902 |edition=1 |url=https://www.routledge.com/Cataloguing-the-Worlds-Endangered-Languages/Campbell-Belew/p/book/9780367580902 |access-date=22 December 2022 |language=en}}

File:1588 First Welsh Bible.jpg

A select group of invited professionals make up the Governance Council and Advisory Committee that oversee the organization. The Governance Council currently has eleven members, including Lyle Campbell and Oliver Loode, with a wide range of experience and employment, including language research groups, universities, and Google.{{cite web |title=The Endangered Languages Project |url=http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/about/ |website=About the Endangered Languages Project |publisher=Endangered Languages Project |access-date=9 October 2020}}

The active Governance Council has delegates from the United States, Canada, Australia, Estonia, Cameroon and the Netherlands. It is responsible for management of the website, oversight of outreach efforts and long-term planning for the project.

In addition to the governing organizations listed above, a global coalition of organizations working to strengthen and preserve endangered languages is forming through the website. This group is known as the Alliance for Linguistic Diversity.About the Alliance for Linguistic Diversity. Online: http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/about/#about_alliance. Accessed 2016-09-23. This group partners with Google to run the Endangered Languages Project.{{cite web |last1=Kushinka |first1=Matthew |title=The Endangered Languages Project |url=https://www.redlinels.com/endangered-languages-project/ |website=RedLine |publisher=RedLine Language Services |access-date=9 October 2020 |archive-date=3 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103180311/https://www.redlinels.com/endangered-languages-project/ |url-status=usurped }}

ELP currently has two full-time staff, four part-time Language Revitalization Mentors, and four interns. The current ELP staff and interns are from the US, Cameroon, Canada, China, India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, and Peru.{{cite web | url=https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18029214575062110/ | title=Instagram }}

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.endangeredlanguages.com Endangered Languages Project website]

Category:American websites

Category:Multilingual websites

Category:Internet properties established in 2012

Category:Linguistics organizations

Category:Language documentation

Category:Sound archives

Category:University of Hawaiʻi

Category:Language activists

Category:Language advocacy organizations

Category:Language revival