TEHRAN – “Language Death” by British linguist David Crystal has been published in Persian by Mahi, a major publishing house based in Tehran.

First published in 2000 by Cambridge University Press, the book was translated into Persian by Ruzbehan Yazdani.

The rapid endangerment and death of many minority languages across the world is a matter of widespread concern, not only among linguists and anthropologists but among all interested in the issues of cultural identity in an increasingly globalized world. 

A leading commentator and popular writer on language issues, David Crystal asks the fundamental question, “Why is language death so important?”, reviews the reason for the current crisis, and investigates what is being done to reduce its impact. 

By some counts, only 600 of the 6,000 or so languages in the world are “safe” from the threat of extinction. 

By some reckonings, the world will, by the end of the twenty-first century, be dominated by a small number of major languages. 

“Language Death” provides a stimulating and accessible account of this alarming trend, which, like the large-scale destruction of the environment, is both peculiarly modern and increasingly global. 

The book includes intelligent arguments and moving descriptions of the decline and demise of particular languages, as well as practical advice for anyone interested in pursuing the subject further. 

Crystal is a leading authority on language, and author of many books, including most recently “Language and the Internet”. 

He is the author or editor of several other books with Cambridge, including the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language, Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, and “English as a Global Language”.  He has also authored “Words on Words” at the University of Chicago. 

An internationally renowned writer, journal editor, lecturer and broadcaster, he received an Order of the British Empire in 1995 for his services to the English language.

Photo: Front cover of the Persian edition of David Crystal’s book “Language Death”.

MMS/YAW