Our Impact
Let's take a look at Lost Worlds Institute's achievements and impact on language preservation!
Recruited internationally - a global team united around language preservation
With 45+ articles published, covering endangered language communities and LWI's work
~120 pages and 26,000+ words of documentation - reviewed by PhD mentors
Connecting 20+ students directly with leading linguistics professors from Yale, Dartmouth, UChicago, and more
Through social media, newsletter, events, and publications - spreading awareness worldwide
UChicago, UPenn, UMass, Boston University, Yale, University of Michigan, Harvard
Through cable TV networks and media stations across the country
Across the country on local and regional broadcast networks
Testimonials
"[I] was genuinely impressed to see high school students engaging so meaningfully with linguistic research and documentation...The Warlpiri Grammar [seems] very thorough and well-written."
Kevin MorandPhD Candidate, UMass Amherst · Mentor
"Founding the Lost Worlds Institute is awesome, and so important!"
Rob PainterProfessor, Northeastern University
"Lost Worlds Institute looks like a fascinating project - getting young people interested and involved in endangered-language revitalization - is crucial to the overall goal of slowing the appalling rate of language loss."
Sarah ThomasonProfessor, University of Michigan
"I am impressed at the scope and...conclusions you guys draw."
Madeline SnigaroffPhD Candidate, University of Chicago · Mentor
"I am really excited that you are taking on this project and are interested in doing something that will increase the vitality of endangered languages...Good for you! You guys are really doing things."
Lenore GrenobleProfessor of Linguistics, University of Chicago
"This youth-led initiative, mindset, and spirit is excellent."
YLYuchi Language ProjectOklahoma
Featured Across the Country
Lost Worlds Institute's work - our mission and impact - has been featured in 10+ media stations across the country, reaching 1.8 million+ households through cable networks. By being featured in the news, LWI reaches more and more people with the problem we find most critical to our time: the rate at which languages are becoming extinct.
Universities We Work With
Our research is reviewed and mentored by PhD scholars and professors from leading universities in linguistics and anthropology. We are a student-run organization that works with faculty and PhD researchers from some of the world's best research universities. Our student research teams are paired with PhD mentors who review and guide their work.
Students × Scholar Forums
We have organized 5 Speaker Forums so far - connecting 20+ of our students directly with leading linguistics professors. Each forum shapes our research methodology in lasting ways.
Prof. Lenore Grenoble
Fieldwork ethics, documentation methodology, and researcher responsibilities to the communities being studied. A foundational session for all LWI research teams.
Prof. Claire Bowern
Australian Aboriginal languages and the Pama-Nyungan family - directly informing our Warlpiri documentation approach and grammatical framework.
Prof. Laura McPherson
Tone systems, phonological complexity, and transcription methods - expanding our phonetic analysis capabilities across all six active language teams.
In-Person Conference
Our inaugural in-person conference brought together students, mentors, and community members for a full day of presentations, workshops, and strategic planning.
Be Part of Our Impact
Every student who joins LWI, every article published, every language documented - it all adds up to something that outlasts us all. Add your voice to ours.
