Listening to (and Saving) the World's Languages

There is an extensive collection of endangered languages around the world. This article by Sam Roberts ("The New York Times," April 29, 2010) reports about efforts to record and save some of those languages, such as Aramaic (the language spoken by Jesus) and Yiddish, for posterity. While Armenian or Armenians are not mentioned in the article, it is important to be aware that Western Armenian is also listed in the catalog of endangered languages compiled by Unesco. To be aware means nothing, indeed. To be aware of the need for serious work to improve the situation is crucial. This article may be read as a call for attention.