LINGUIST List 14.496

Wed Feb 19 2003

Media: Modified: Archives of Babel

Editor for this issue: Steve Moran <stevelinguistlist.org>

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  • Maartje Schreuder, Modified: 14.490: Discovery Channel: Archives of Babel

    Message 1: Modified: 14.490: Discovery Channel: Archives of Babel

     Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2003 12:53:38 +0000
    From: Maartje Schreuder <M.J.Schreuderlet.rug.nl>
    Subject: Modified: 14.490: Discovery Channel: Archives of Babel


    In celebration of International Mother Language Day Discovery Communications, Inc. in partnership with UNESCO, and the UN Works Programme, will highlight some of the world's endangered languages with a broadcast to over 100 million viewers internationally on the Discovery Channel. In Europe it will be on Friday February 21, around 9 pm.

    The broadcast will include nine short-form programs that capture stories from the few remaining people who speak these threatened languages. The stories were filmed in Scotland, Sweden, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Argentina, and India. Websites from UNESCO www.unesco.org and the UN Works Programme (www.un.org/works) will complement the short-form programs to futher bring these little known languages and cultures to millions of people worldwide. On International Mother Language Day, Discovery Channel will also air Archives of Babel, a program that attempts to reconstruct the world's first language, as spoken by every human being at a given moment in history. Many of today's languages have roots originating from that single language.

    International Mother Language Day is February 21st. It was proclaimed by UNESCO's General Conference in November 1999, and was celebrated for the first time on February 21st, 2000.