The Histories and Futures of Vulnerable Languages

The event is a panel discussion dedicated to contrasting and examining the histories of Irish, Catalan, Sino-Tibetan languages and Indigenous Australian languages: what we know (or not) of their origins; their cultural development (under colonialism); their linguistic structural evolution; their statuses today as vulnerable or definitely endangered languages, as defined by UNESCO; and modern revitalisation attempts. We hope it will provide illuminating and fresh perspectives on the history of language as a tool for exchange and cultural preservation. Speakers will attend from the University of Cologne, Maynooth University, and of course Trinity College Dublin, including from your own Trinity Centre for Asian Studies.