Reviews for The Vanishing Languages of the Pacific Rim

The average rating for The Vanishing Languages of the Pacific Rim based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-04-14 00:00:00 Dorvan Maldaner The Pacific Rim, say the editors of this collection, is a region "containing the greatest typological and genetic diversity in the world". This book surveying that diversity was published in 2007, but it appears to have been sent to press sometime in 2004, and it derives in large part from the earlier still Endangered Languages of the Pacific Rim project led by Osahito Miyaoka, one of the editors here. Because the book derives from a project concerned with language endangerment, Michael E. Krauss kicks things off with a chapter on mass language extinction, which makes plenty of arguments for being worried and taking action, but I daresay this will all be old hat to most readers. The following chapter, by Bernard Comrie, also deals with language endangerment and the need for documentation, but spends several pages talking about Welsh. Colette Grinevald gives us a chapter on doing fieldwork, which isn't exactly Pacific Rim-specific, and her case study is a language spoken on the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua. So, readers who expected to get a tight focus on the Pacific Rim may be puzzled by so much time speaking about these general issues or faraway languages, and the book does seem like a sort of Frankenstein monster. Thankfully, David Bradley's chapter on language policy and language rights is grounded in the specific context of various languages along the Pacific Rim. The bulk of the book is then dedicated to chapters on specific languages, divided into the parts "The South Pacific Rim", "South-East Asia", "The Northern Pacific Rim". Those specific chapters are quite uneven. In the main, they present only the basic historical context of the language, its demographics, and efforts (or lack of efforts) for revitalization. That "greatest typological and genetic diversity" mentioned on the book's cover isn't actually explored much. So, this book is an unsatisfying combination of a book on language death in general - which has already been treated elsewhere and often in a better way - and a sort of reference book on what all is spoken around the Pacific Rim. However, with regard to the reference-shelf quality, the appeal of a book like this has declined as readers searching for a very general overview can easily get that kind of basic information with a simple web search, while those wanting a deeper description can turn to e.g. Routledge's Language Family series and other such tomes. I imagine the only real customer base for a book like this is university libraries, and even there it may end up gathering dust.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-01-29 00:00:00 Andrew Smith Let me disclaim this review by stating that I've always enjoyed and respected the views and opinions of Bill Moyers. I like his sensibility, his tone, his integrity, and his approach to journalism and politics. This book does nothing but strengthen and enhance those beliefs. A book of speeches always runs the risk of becoming repetitive, of which this does not escape that indictment. Having said that, Moyers proves once again why he is a preeminent source of journalistic integrity and bi-partisan reporting. If what you're looking for is a fair assessment of democracy in America and the rigors of holding onto a government of, by, and for the people, then look no further. I'll say this, Democracy is in good hands with the likes of Mr. Moyers and others who transcend petty politics, agenda reporting, and partisan isolationism. My favorite Moyers quote from the book is: "Life is where you get your answers questioned." Definitely a "Good Read"!