Photograph by K. David Harrison
The Enduring Voices team, including Dr. Greg Anderson, Dr. David Harrison, Jeremy Fahringer, Opino Gomango, and Dr. Ganesh Murmu, visited five endangered language communities in Arunachal Pradesh, India, in December 2011.
One goal of the trip was to expand and continue our documentation of the Hruso Aka and Koro Aka languages, which we began in 2008. Koro Aka has been a priority for us in part because, prior to our research, it was not acknowledged or listed in the scientific record as a distinct language, nor were any recordings available. Koro remains a mystery in terms of its position within the Tibeto-Burman language family. Our comparative work will help scientists understand where it fits and how it has evolved within the Eastern India Language Hotspot.
Click here to read a full report of the 2011 Arunachal Pradesh, India Expedition. (PDF)
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Arunachal Pradesh, India 2011 Photos
See photos from the Enduring Voices 2011 expedition to Arunachal Pradesh, India, where they visited five endangered language communities.
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India Photo Slideshow 2008
See photos from the Enduring Voices team's expedition to India in November 2008 and view different words translated into the Aka, Monpa, Nishi, and Sherdukpen languages.
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Arunachal Pradesh, India Expedition 2010
The Enduring Voices team made its third expedition to Arunachal Pradesh, India in November 2010.
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India March 2008 Expedition
A visit by an Enduring Voices team to India's Arunachal Pradesh state has yielded the first-known recordings of several rare and poorly understood languages.
Meet the Team
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Gregory Anderson, Linguist
Dr. Gregory D. S. Anderson is a linguist who is director of the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the documentation, revitalization, and maintenance of endangered languages.
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David Harrison, Linguist
K. David Harrison is a linguist and leading specialist in the study of endangered languages. He co-leads the Enduring Voices project at National Geographic and is an associate professor at Swarthmore College.
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Chris Rainier, Photographer
Chris Rainier is considered one of the leading documentary photographers working today. His life's mission is to put on film both the remaining natural wilderness and indigenous cultures around the globe and to use images to create social change.
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Living Tongues
The Enduring Voices Project represents a partnership between National Geographic Mission Programs and the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages.
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Ethics Statement
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Ethics Statement
View the Enduring Voices Project ethics statement.
The Last Speakers
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The Last Speakers
The poignant chronicle of K. David Harrison’s expeditions around the world to meet with last speakers of vanishing languages.
"The Last Speakers" is now published in Japanese. Read the interview with Dr. Harrison here and purchase the Japanese edition here.
