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Abstract:
Abstract: This paper reviews current discussion of the issue of just
what is lost when a language dies. Special reference is made to the
current situation in Laos, a country renowned for its considerable
cultural and linguistic diversity. It focuses on the historical, anthropological
and ecological knowledge that a language can encode,
and the social and cultural consequences of the loss of such traditional
knowledge when a language is no longer passed on. Finally,
the article points out the paucity of studies and obstacles to field
research on minority languages in Laos, which seriously hamper
their documentation.
