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Workshop
The world's linguistic landscape is rapidly evolving, with a concerning trend of language endangerment, marginalization, and loss. Linguists estimate that between 50% and 90% of the approximately 7,000 languages currently spoken may be severely endangered or entirely lost by the end of this century.
This alarming acceleration of language death is largely attributed to cultural, political, and economic marginalization, as well as the rise of globalization, global imperialism, and forced migration due to conflict, war, and the impacts of climate change.
The disappearance of a language represents the loss of a unique cultural and intellectual heritage, encompassing traditional knowledge, historical perspectives, and modes of expression. In addition to the ethical and cultural implications, language endangerment has significant consequences for our understanding of human cognition and linguistic diversity, as languages are the most powerful expressions of a people, their culture, and traditions. Each language encodes a unique system of knowledge, categorization, and expression, and its loss diminishes the scope of human thought and creativity.
This two-day digital workshop brings together a highly diverse group of international experts dedicated to the documentation and study of endangered and minoritized languages worldwide. We aim to foster a dynamic forum in Portugal and beyond, exchanging ideas and discussing the most critical challenges and innovative practices in the areas of linguistics dedicated to understanding and supporting global linguistic diversity.
