Language Hotspots: what (applied) linguistics and education should do about language endangerment in the twenty-first century

I outline the concept of Language Hotspots, seeking to direct public and professional awareness of the global language extinction crisis. The loss of a single language leaves the science of linguistics impoverished and yet even few linguists realize that the vast majority of language families will likely be lost by the end of this century. Language Hotspots can serve as a focal point around which to develop a comprehensive approach to addressing how to increase, improve and coordinate engagement by all stakeholders in the global language extinction crisis, not only linguists and the communities undergoing language shift themselves, but also applied linguists, the general public and educators at all levels. I briefly outline language endangerment and its causes and detail the science behind the global Language Hotspots list, and then turn to an exemplification of an area of extreme linguistic endangerment, the Eastern Siberia Language Hotspot. Finally, I make a plea for linguistic scientists to increase their efforts in language documentation and for language education specialists to use their considerable skills and expertise to help support Indigenous movements in language revitalization. I then offer thoughts on why the Language Hotspots model should be incorporated into primary-, secondary- and postsecondary-level curricula.