Parrot Time Magazine

Over the millennia of human history, several thousand languages of been created, giving mankind a seemingly endless number of communication tools.

Sadly, this did not last.

As humanity advanced and travelled, more and more languages came into conflict with others. As is the case with most conflicts, only one party is the winner. In this case, the losing language was usually suppressed and driven to the brink of extinction if not completely wiped out. All too often, the victim was an indigenous language belonging to a single people whose fate followed that of their language.

This has to stop.

This year, 2019, has been declared as the International Year of Indigenous Languages by the United Nations. It is an effort to raise awareness of the troubles facing indigenous languages around the world. Individuals and groups create their own projects and events to help the cause.

It was decided to dedicate a special issue of Parrot Time to indigenous languages as our own contribution to this important movement. We've got articles on Marshallese, Vurës, Tuvaluan, Romani, Nahuatl, and more! Plus an interview with author and publisher Dr Emily McEwan.

We hope you enjoy this special issue and share it with your friends and fellow language lovers. Spread the word and help save indigenous languages!

Erik Zidowecki
ERIK ZIDOWECKI
EDITOR IN CHIEF