Rare Tongues is an enthralling tour around the rarest languages in the world, bringing a different eye to an often Anglocentric topic. It explores how globally, language and culture is becoming increasingly homogenous—with a resulting loss of different viewpoints and ways of living.

In Rare Tongues, linguist and writer Lorna Gibb will explore the history of these languages, the cultures they belong to, the tales they tell, while offering a glimpse into what we can learn from each of them. From Australia to Finland, from India to the Canary Islands, from Namibia to the United States, from Scotland to Paraguay, the book will guide the reader through contrasting stories of languages under threat and languages in resurgence. We’ll learn about the different systems of whistles, clicks, vowels, consonants and tones that carry information about our planet, about medicine, about indigenous culture and tradition, even the history of all of mankind.