From Fieldwork to Reconstruction: Historical Issues in Hotspots of Linguistic Diversity*

Abstract

This special issue aims to explore the advances in historical linguistics that are made possible by the ongoing documentation of underdescribed and endangered languages. Indeed, apart from its contribution to typology, any linguistic description offers data to be analyzed from a diachronic perspective. It hardly needs to be noted that both documentation and historical linguistics significantly contribute to the culture of the communities involved.The most urgent task of linguistics today is perhaps the description and preservation of the amazing linguistic diversity that is still present on the planet. UNESCO reaffirmed this priority with the proclamation of 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages. The awareness of the need for more efforts to protect minority languages led to the declaration of an entire decade, 2022-2032, as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. Already since 1999, on February 21 of each year, UNESCO has been celebrating the International Mother Language Day, with particular attention to the promotion and protection of those linguistic varieties that are currently threatened.