Preserving Endangered Languages

We preserve the unheard voices that are vital to our social tapestry.

What We Do

12 Languages Initiative

For our first, major project, we are working on preserving (and even revitalizing) twelve endangered languages—two of which are entirely extinct, and others have slowly gained speakers. We aim to document (and create tools for) these languages fully so these people and cultures are preserved for all of posterity: no voice, no matter how small, should be destroyed.

The twelve languages are: Chamicuro, Taa, Yuchi, Warlpiri, Serrano, Manx, Wampanoag, Cherokee, Coptic, Akkadian, Western Aramaic, Muscogee

Country of origin for these languages

We aim to research, write about, and document these languages through our youth-led mission. We are building a team of youth researchers, documenters, and writers. Paired with the expertise of scholars, the Lost Worlds Institute plans to create a long-term effort of preserving languages whose condition is endangered or extinct — of voices unheard and suppressed.

Who's this for?

a. High school students interested in languages, linguistics, computational linguistics, native cultures, classics, etc. (anything adjacent to endangered languages and their cultures!)

b. Scholars & professors who are knowledgeable about any of these fields (linguistics, computational linguistics, indigenous studies, native culture, endangered languages, etc.)

c. Native people, associated native organizations, & speakers of the 12 Languages we are trying to preserve currently! If you might know someone who speaks one of these languages or is very knowledgeable about one of them, please email us here!

If you're interested, we NEED your help today! Look at available position openings below:

How to Get Involved

Want to help save dying cultures, peoples, and their tongues?

1. Register for a Students x Scholar Forum

Get to learn about endangered or extinct languages, their morphology and phonetics, as well as how we can save them from field professionals.

2. Join our Research & Documentation Program

Documentation is the key to long-term preservation. We need to dig deep to find the ins and outs of these languages so anyone can learn them from our resources.

You get to research and publish with us and scholars!

Read more about the languages you'll research here!

3. Join our Magazine Program

Write articles and shorter posts about native groups, languages, and our achievements & events. Anyone who is writing-inclined should join us here and become part of our staff!

Read more about LWI Magazine here!

4. Apply for leadership or membership

Join us by taking leadership and position at our organization - whether it be in outreach, social media, or making it to the board as Vice President, look at open offerings.

Read more about leadership here!