Hello Language Lovers! Welcome back to a special bonus episode of Speaking Tongues. Today, we have an extraordinary conversation with Ross Perlin, a linguist, writer, and translator, who joins us to discuss the endangered languages of New York City. Ross has written extensively for major publications and is the author of the compelling book "Language: The Fight to Preserve Endangered Mother Tongues in New York." 

In this conversation, we explore:

🗽 Ross’s linguistic journey from growing up monolingual in New York to diving into multiple languages such as Mandarin, Spanish, French, Latin, Greek, Luo, Uyghur, and Russian.

🗽 His experiences in China, studying the Tibeto-Burman language Trung, and how this led to his work in language documentation and endangered languages.

🗽 The founding and mission of the Endangered Language Alliance (ELA) in New York City, an organization dedicated to urban linguistic diversity and supporting immigrant and diaspora communities.

🗽 The rich linguistic history of New York City, from its origins as a Lenape-speaking archipelago to its status as the most linguistically diverse city in the world.

🗽 Portraits of six speakers from different parts of the world who have come to New York and are actively documenting, defending, and teaching their endangered languages.

🗽 The impact of socio-political changes and challenges such as the 2016 election, COVID-19, and anti-immigrant politics on linguistic diversity in New York.

🗽 The future of endangered languages in New York amidst rising living costs and gentrification, and the importance of building a linguistic infrastructure to support these communities.

Thank you to Ross Perlin for sharing your work, your insights and Language City with us. If you enjoy this episode of Speaking Tongues, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review the Speaking Tongues Podcast on Apple Podcasts and like and subscribe on YouTube so that other language lovers like ourselves can find the show! If you’ve been a long-time listener of the show or a recent listener, you can now pledge ongoing support for the show on Buy Me a Coffee dot com or on Patreon dot com. And as you know, I wrote a book! My food ‘zine of international language and cuisine, Taste Buds Vol 1. is available now for purchase! Check social media for the sneak peek inside of the book and make sure you purchase for yourself and your friends! Links to all platforms are below!

To Connect with Ross Perlin and the Endangered Language Alliance:

Visit the Endangered Language Alliance: https://www.elalliance.org

Explore the Language Map: https://languagemap.nyc

Get Ross’s book, "Language: The Fight to Preserve Endangered Mother Tongues in New York": https://bookshop.org/a/104518/9780802162465

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