Every 14 days, a language dies. Of the 7,000 languages currently spoken around the world, half of them are at risk of becoming extinct by the end of this century.

This short video by National Geographic follows scientists
Greg Anderson and David Harrison and photographer Chris Rainier of the Enduring Voices Project as they travel the world on a mission to draw attention to global language loss.

On their travels the trio meets, records and interviews speakers of dying languages. In northern Australia they interview the last speaker of a language previously thought to be extinct. And in northeastern India they visit a village where many of the older residents speak a language that few of the younger residents will learn. The team sets up the village with a language technology kit that includes video and audio equipment in hopes of preserving the language and the collective cultural knowledge that comes with it.

The Enduring Voices website also includes an interactive map of the world’s “language hotspots,” and photo galleries, audio slideshows and videos from those hotspots.

CHANNEL: National Geographic

Length: 2:42

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Enduring Voices Website