David Harrison and The Linguists on PBS Feb. 26

by Stacey Kutish
2/25/2009

The Linguists, a documentary that features Associate Professor of Linguistics K. David Harrison/> (right) as he attempts to document languages on the verge of extinction, airs Thurs., Feb. 26, at 10 p.m. on PBS (check local listings).  The film has earned praise since its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival last year, most recently in Newsweek and the Boston Globe, among others.

Harrison's work to learn about critically endangered languages is part of the National Geographic Society's Enduring Voices Project. More than half of the world's 7,000 languages are expected to become extinct by the end of the century, taking with them, Harrison says, irreplaceable knowledge about the natural world.