How does it feel to be isolated from a language and a culture that could have been yours? There are many paths to language loss, but there are also many ways back. Language revitalisation is now happening for communities and individuals. We’re talking about it with journalist and lingToker Sophia Smith Galer, author of How to Kill a Language: Power, Resistance, and the Race to Save Our Words.
Timestamps
00:00 Start
00:34 Intros: How are you “going”?
05:54 News: A font that can poison data for GenAI
13:51 News: A lost Golden Age of language in the Holocene
27:33 News: New language support for Netflix, Disney+
33:59 Related or Not: Theme from Gordon
34:37 Related or Not: ramshackle
41:39 Related or Not: nap
48:57 Related or Not: adder, deer, natter, otter, hydra
54:12 Chat with Sophia Smith Galer: Her language background
01:00:31 The pain of separation from one’s own language
01:05:01 Attacks on multicuturalism
01:07:34 Is all language death language murder?
01:09:41 The role of parents in language transmission
01:16:52 Factors influencing language survival
01:26:50 Will GenAI help or harm minority languages?
01:35:33 Challenging monoglossic language ideology
01:40:36 Sophia encourages linguistic curiosity
01:43:11 Responding to a review: Is it okay if languages die?
01:53:21 Word of the Week: slop zombie
01:55:29 Word of the Week: eternity leave
01:56:24 Word of the Week: spherical bastard
01:58:10 Word of the Week: the butter’s penthouse
02:01:47 Word of the Week: Jimothy
02:04:42 Comments: Ingressive speech
02:08:33 The Reads
02:15:40 Outtakes: Hedvig’s plant
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Which endangered language is closest to your name? Sorted by Levenshtein distance. Data is from:
Endangered languages: the full list | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2011/apr/15/language-extinct-endangered
| Patron name | Language | Speakers | Status | Edit distance |
| Rene | Dene | 8,195 | Vulnerable | 1 |
| Kevin | Krevin | 0 | Extinct | 1 |
| Stan | Svan | 80,000 | Definitely endangered | 1 |
| Kathy | Kathu | 5,000 | Definitely endangered | 1 |
| Rach | Sach | 1,000 | Definitely endangered | 1 |
| Amir | Amis | 30,000 | Vulnerable | 1 |
| Laura | Laua | 1 | Critically endangered | 1 |
| Aldo | Aluo | 20,000 | Definitely endangered | 1 |
| Helen | Helong | 9,000 | Severely endangered | 2 |
| Lyssa | Bussa | 6,624 | Vulnerable | 2 |
| Larry | Lari | 80,000 | Definitely endangered | 2 |
| Nigel | Jirel | 4,919 | Definitely endangered | 2 |
| Nasrin | Narim | 3,623 | Definitely endangered | 2 |
| Joanna | Hoanya | 0 | Extinct | 2 |
| Nikoli | Nihali | 2,000 | Critically endangered | 2 |
| Keith | Keiga | 6,072 | Severely endangered | 2 |
| Ayesha | Yanesha | 8,000 | Severely endangered | 2 |
| Manú | Mang (China and Viet Nam) | 2,300 | Definitely endangered | 2 |
| Fiona | Kona | 2,000 | Severely endangered | 2 |
| Luis | Kui | 916,222 | Vulnerable | 2 |
| Tony | Mon | 800,000 | Vulnerable | 2 |
| James | Amis | 30,000 | Vulnerable | 2 |
| Amy | Mam | 7,977 | Severely endangered | 2 |
| Lucy | Lude | 3,000 | Severely endangered | 2 |
| Xekri | Mehri | 100,000 | Definitely endangered | 2 |
| Lance | Lauje | 32,000 | Vulnerable | 2 |
| Becky | Beeke | 1,000 | Severely endangered | 2 |
| Sydney | Stoney | 2,765 | Vulnerable | 2 |
| Martha | Mara | 22,000 | Definitely endangered | 2 |
| Daryl | Dari (possibly Iranian Dari) | 15,000 | Definitely endangered | 2 |
| Ben | Mon | 800,000 | Vulnerable | 2 |
| Daniel | Danisi | 220 | Critically endangered | 2 |
| Amanita | Santa | 360,000 | Vulnerable | 3 |
| Chris L | Chairel | 0 | Extinct | 3 |
| Andy B | Adyge | 300,000 | Vulnerable | 3 |
| Steele | Gyele | 4,280 | Definitely endangered | 3 |
| Diego | Mizo | 529,000 | Vulnerable | 3 |
| Rodger | Rongpo | 8,000 | Vulnerable | 3 |
| Colleen | Moklen | 6,000 | Definitely endangered | 3 |
| O Tim | Kati | 18,700 | Definitely endangered | 3 |
| John K | Jone | 24,000 | Definitely endangered | 3 |
| Mignon | Mon | 800,000 | Vulnerable | 3 |
| Heather | Meithei | 1,250,000 | Vulnerable | 3 |
| Hedvig | Helong | 9,000 | Severely endangered | 3 |
| Whitney | Meithei | 1,250,000 | Vulnerable | 4 |
| Elías | Erzya | 400,000 | Definitely endangered | 4 |
| gramaryen | Kamarian | 10 | Critically endangered | 4 |
| LordMortis | Lorkoti | 0 | Extinct | 4 |
| Kristofer | Kristang | 2,150 | Severely endangered | 4 |
| Meredith | Xerente | 2,569 | Severely endangered | 4 |
| Ignacio | Guajiro | 318,500 | Vulnerable | 4 |
| Wolfdog | Bodo | 900,000 | Vulnerable | 4 |
| sæ̃m | Somm | 80 | Definitely endangered | 4 |
| Yevaud | Newar | 825,458 | Definitely endangered | 4 |
| Rosemary | Romani | 4,858 | Vulnerable | 4 |
| Ariaflame | Apinaje | 1,500 | Vulnerable | 5 |
| Molly Dee | Moklen | 6,000 | Definitely endangered | 5 |
| J0HNTR0Y | Juhur | 3,016 | Definitely endangered | 5 |
| PharaohKatt | Piaroa | 11,000 | Vulnerable | 6 |
| Canny Archer | Panare | 3,000 | Vulnerable | 7 |
| Sonic Snejhog | Singpho | 5,000 | Definitely endangered | 8 |
| Faux Frenchie | Eastern Cham | 50,000 | Definitely endangered | 8 |
| Linguistic Chaos | Ligurian | 1,000,000 | Definitely endangered | 10 |
| Andy from Logophilius | Aromanian | 500,000 | Definitely endangered | 16 |
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Become a Patron!Show notes
Type designers have created a free font that “poisons” AI
https://www.creativebloq.com/design/fonts-typography/type-designers-have-created-a-free-font-that-poisons-ai
[Explainer] The lost golden age of language diversity | MPI
https://www.mpg.de/26871018/the-lost-golden-age-of-language-diversity
[Journal article $$] The rise and fall of language diversity through the Holocene | Science
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adx4343
Humanity spoke thousands of languages at the dawn of farming — now many of them are lost | Nature
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-02279-w
Netflix and ASL Company SignUp Media Are Making Hundreds of Hours of Kids Programming More Accessible
https://www.indiewire.com/news/breaking-news/netflix-partners-asl-signup-media-200-hours-kids-content-1235205564/
Disney+ Expands to 58 Languages, Introduces Six New User Interface Languages and Right-to-Left Capabilities
https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/disney-plus-expands-languages-right-to-left-interface/
How to Kill a Language: Power, Resistance and the Race to Save Our Words by Sophia Smith Galer
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/789811/how-to-kill-a-language-by-sophia-smith-galer/
Learning another language appears to slow brain ageing, scientists say
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/jul/06/learning-another-language-appears-to-slow-brain-ageing-scientists-say
Speaking another language could slow ageing in the brain | FENS News
https://www.fens.org/news-activities/news/speaking-another-language-could-slow-ageing-in-the-brain
Global predictors of language endangerment and the future of linguistic diversity | Nature Ecology & Evolution
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-021-01604-y
[Public version] What is the future of the world’s linguistic diversity?
https://communities.springernature.com/posts/what-is-the-future-of-the-world-s-linguistic-diversity
Drivers of language loss | Nature Ecology & Evolution
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-021-01621-x
Mozilla Expands Volunteer-led Push for Inclusive AI in Taiwanese Indigenous Languages
https://www.mozillafoundation.org/en/blog/mozilla-expands-volunteer-led-push-for-inclusive-ai-in-taiwanese-indigenous-languages/
Consentful Tech Project
https://alliedmedia.org/projects/consentful-tech-project
Polish to be the most effective language for prompting AI, new study reveals
https://www.euronews.com/next/2025/11/01/polish-to-be-the-most-effective-language-for-prompting-ai-new-study-reveals
FEMA sent ‘unintelligible’ disaster relief information to Alaska Native people impacted by Typhoon Merbok
https://alaskapublic.org/2023/01/09/lost-in-translation-fema-sent-unintelligible-disaster-relief-application-information-to-alaska-natives-impacted-by-typhoon-merbok/
[$$] Sometimes It’s O.K. to Let a Language Die | New Yorker
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/07/27/how-to-kill-a-language-sophia-smith-galer-book-review
A Response to “Sometimes It’s O.K. to Let a Language Die” | Endangered Language Project
https://www.endangeredlanguages.com/story/response-sometimes-its-ok-let-language-die
@sophiasmithgaler It look over three years of my life, god knows how many interviews, about three months abroad and nine international trips to write How To Kill A Language. There is both hope and sadness in this book, but most importantly, it’s got the voices of people who are living through this, and the peer-reviewed research that has been done to begin quantifying and qualifying the damage of linguistic erasure. I am grateful to everyone who’s giving this book even a second of their time.
Rise of the ‘slop zombies’ | Machine Society
https://www.machinesociety.ai/p/rise-of-the-slop-zombies
Why Mitch McConnell Isn’t Giving Up His Senate Seat
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/us/why-mitch-mcconnell-isnt-giving-up-his-senate-seat.html
Swiss scientist Fritz Zwicky coined the term "dark matter," which is impressive; but he also coined the term "spherical bastard" to describe people who are bastards no matter which way you look at them, and I think that should be celebrated more.Zwicky, Fritz (1898-1974) | Wolfram Research
https://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Zwicky.html
What’s The Point Of The Butter Container In The Refrigerator Door?
https://www.wgbh.org/lifestyle/2019-06-11/whats-the-point-of-the-butter-container-in-the-refrigerator-door
Meet ‘Jimothy,’ Seattle’s internet-famous raccoon
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/meet-jimothy-seattles-internet-famous-raccoon/
Jimothy the Raccoon | Know Your Meme
https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/jimothy-the-raccoon
Jimothy (raccoon) | Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimothy_(raccoon)
The Inhaled Affirmative- Organic Pilsner | Big Spruce Brewing
https://bigspruce.ca/_products/the-inhaled-affirmative-organic-pilsner-473ml
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