Last Whispers

At an unprecedented speed, faster than the extinction of some species, our linguistic diversity—the very means by which we know ourselves—is eroding. Today, out of the 7,000 languages remaining on Earth, only 30 are spoken by the majority of the world's population. It is estimated that at least half of the planet’s currently spoken languages will have died out by the end of this century. Some estimates project an even greater speed of disappearance.

Last Whispers is a project that raises awareness about the mass extinction of languages. By definition, this extinction occurs in silence, since silence is the very form it takes. Last Whispers brings to life what has gone silent. Despite drowning in the noise of our own voices—uttered within dominant cultures and languages—we are surrounded by a vast ocean of silence. Last Whispers aims to further awareness of linguistic extinction.