One third of the approximately 6500 languages that are still being spoken in the world today will become extinct over the course of the next decades. According to pessimistic estimates, up to 90% of the languages still spoken today will die out within this century. Languages and dialects are not only the means through which we communicate with others and seek ways of explaining the world in which we live, they are also expressions of human culture and the human mind itself. They are of value in and of themselves and should be preserved and documented as manifestations of the creativity and diversity of the human mind.

The Society for Endangered Languages (GBS) was founded in November 1997 by a group of German linguists together with the members of the "Endangered Languages" work group of the German Society for Linguistics in Cologne. The goal of this non-profit organization is to further the use, preservation, and documentation of endangered languages and dialects.

The Society wishes to achieve its goal by endeavoring to:

• support projects that are concerned with endangered languages and dialects and to advise those involved in the preparation, realization, and evaluation of such projects;
• promote fieldwork and documentation projects as well as scientifically well-founded projects that could contribute to the preservation and strengthening of endangered languages and dialects;
• initiate and support measures fostering the involvement in research on endangered languages and dialects at universities and other academic institutions;
• promote national and international cooperation between researchers concerned with the challenges and problems facing endangered languages and dialects; and
• inform the scientific and general public about endangered languages and dialects as well as the problems that the affected speech communities are confronted with as comprehensively as possible.

The Society for Endangered Languages strives to work with the concerned speech communities using the best methods and practices, while at the same same respecting and realizing the wishes and ideas of the people in these speech communities regarding the preservation and documentation of their respective language or dialect.

All natural and legal persons can become members of the GBS. Requests for membership should to be submitted in written form to the secretary (see address below and on membership application form). After receiving confirmation of membership, members are asked to pay the yearly membership fee of 30 Euro (for members with an income) or 15 Euro (for students or members without an income). Payments can be made by money transfer to The Society for Endangered Languages, account number: 4033 513 900 at GLS Gemeinschaftsbank Bochum (National BIC 430 609 67; SWIFT-BIC: GENODEM1GLS, IBAN: DE48 4306 0967 4033 5139 00). Donations are also welcome (same account - receipts can be obtained).

GBS: Society for Endangered Languages
Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft
Institut für Linguistik
Universität zu Köln
D - 50923 Köln
GBS@uni-koeln.de