Ross Perlin and Samantha Ellis
Jewish Book Week: Language City
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Summary
Over the next century, half of the 7,000-plus human languages are predicted to disappear forever. In his fight to preserve them, Ross Perlin heads to the most linguistically diverse, immigration-shaped city in history: contemporary New York. Winner of the 2024 British Academy Book Prize, Language City follows six remarkable yet ordinary speakers of endangered languages deep into their communities, learning how they are maintaining their mother tongues against overwhelming odds. A joyful and illuminating exploration of a city and the world that made it. Learn More
In partnership with the Jewish Literary Foundation.
Ross Perlin
Ross Perlin is a linguist, writer, and translator focused on exploring and supporting linguistic diversity. His book Language City was released by Grove in the US and the UK.
Since 2013 he has been Co-Director of the Endangered Language Alliance in New York, where he created the Jewish Languages Project. He also teaches linguistics at Columbia. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, Harper’s, and elsewhere, and his first book Intern Nation: How to Earn Nothing and Learn Little in the Brave New Economy ignited an international conversation about unpaid work. He has an MA in Language Documentation and Description from SOAS and a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Bern.
Samantha Ellis
Samantha Ellis is the author of How to be a Heroine, and Take Courage, both published by Vintage.