How to Kill a Language

“Fascinating . . . [Smith] Galer casts a bright light on the massive linguistic diversity that the world seems set to lose.”—The New York Times

“Punchy and persuasive . . . [with] many moments of linguistic joy.”—The Times (UK)

“[A] moving, beautiful and important book . . . The narrative grips from the outset. . . . The story she tells is profound and often tragic.”—Financial Times

“How to Kill a Language paints a vivid, hopeful portrait of how people around the world are staying connected to their linguistic roots against the odds. Sophia Smith Galer deftly balances the human detail with the bigger linguistic picture. Marvelously done.”—Gretchen McCulloch, author of Because Internet

“A rallying cry against linguistic extinction . . . This is a necessary book, with a message that English speakers need to hear.”—The New Statesman

“Sophia Smith Galer shines an intimate light on a pressing issue. How to Kill a Language tours the world with a personal touch, revealing the powerfully human stakes behind language death and revitalization.”—Adam Aleksic, author of Algospeak

“Urgent and timely . . . How to Kill a Language could easily have become a counsel of despair. Instead, despite its clear-sighted views on the outlook for many languages, what animates it above all is the curiosity and pleasure of language learning—a curiosity that is its own form of hope.”—The Telegraph

“An extremely moving, passionate plea to protect linguistic diversity. A language is more than a dictionary or a system of grammar: It is an archive, a culture, a symbol, and a mode of being. Sophia Smith Galer’s fascinating book digs down into what it really means to translate, document, conserve, comprehend, and colonize.”—Cal Flyn, author of Islands of Abandonment

“How to Kill a Language hits the intersection of language and power as few other books have, with vivid reporting of how ‘linguicide’s broad scythe’ is cutting through communities worldwide.”—Ross Perlin, author of Language City

“A love letter to languages. These ten stories locate their languages in a context of personal heritage, identity, and culture in a way that is both intellectually rigorous and yet profoundly moving.”—David Crystal, author of How Language Works

“Beautiful, thought-provoking, and compelling.”—Susie Dent, author of Guilty by Definition

“How to Kill a Language both demystifies and sharply contextualizes linguicide by providing not only the reasons why languages die but also the stories of the speakers and communities whose languages are lost. I’m so glad this book exists: Language preservation and revitalization are causes sorely in need of a champion.”—David Peterson, author of The Art of Language Invention

“Essential . . . A relevant, necessary call to action.” —Library Journal, starred review

“A sobering, urgent call for action to save a thousand tongues while we can.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Heart-wrenching . . . a spirited reconsideration of language as a natural resource that must be protected.”—Publishers Weekly