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Deep Dive: The Linguists (2008)

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The Linguists
The Linguists is a documentary that focuses on language extinction and documentation. It follows linguists Greg Anderson and David Harrison as they travel to various locations, including Siberia, Arizona, India, and Bolivia, to record the last speakers of dying languages such as Chulym, Chemehuevi, Sora, and Kallawaya. The film emphasizes the urgency of documenting these languages, as half of the world's 7,000 languages are at risk of extinction. The film addresses the factors contributing to language extinction, including the dominance of major global languages and the political and social repression of certain languages. It also discusses the importance of language revitalization and documentation for preserving unique local knowledge and history. The filmmakers faced challenges during production, including physical ailments and remote locations, ultimately resulting in over 200 hours of footage collected over three years.

Why Watch

  • •Meet linguists Greg Anderson and David Harrison
  • •See endangered languages like Chulym and Kallawaya
  • •Find out about language extinction rates worldwide

Did You Know

•The film was completed in August 2007 after three years of filming.
•Greg Anderson and David Harrison were chosen as protagonists in 2003.
•The film received a $520,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.
•Half of the world's 7,000 languages are going extinct, according to the film.

Perfect For

Language preservationCultural anthropologyDocumentary enthusiasts