Knowledge of the world's languages has never been more comprehensive than it is today; yet never have so many been threatened by extinction. Defining as endangered those languages in which older speakers are failing--for whatever reason--to pass on their native speech to younger generations, this encyclopedia is the first to catalog and describe them in-depth.

Each regional section in this work explores the problems of language preservation in the area, surveys known extinct languages and problems of classification, and provides a list of all known languages within the region, with special marking of those listed as endangered or extinct in subsequent entries. The list is followed by A-Z entries covering each language listed as endangered.

Edited by internationally regarded specialist Christopher Moseley, co-editor of the classic Atlas of the World's Languages, this is an essential resource for linguists, language-lovers, and anyone who believes that the human community is impoverished by the loss of even one language.