Languages as historical documents: the endangered archive in Laos

Author: Enfield, N.J.

Source: South East Asia Research, Volume 14, Number 3, November 2006 , pp. 471-488(18)

Publisher: IP Publishing Ltd

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Abstract:

This paper reviews current discussion of the issue of just what is lost when a language dies. Special reference is made to the current situation in Laos, a country renowned for its considerable cultural and linguistic diversity. It focuses on the historical, anthropological and ecological knowledge that a language can encode, and the social and cultural consequences of the loss of such traditional knowledge when a language is no longer passed on. Finally, the article points out the paucity of studies and obstacles to field research on minority languages in Laos, which seriously hamper their documentation.

Keywords: LANGUAGES; MINORITIES; LAOS

Document Type: Research article

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