Feature: Preserving endangered languages as 3D shapes

A 3D model of a sample from an ancient Neo-Assyrian dialect, Akkadian - now extinct Half of the world's languages are endangered and more than a thousand are expected to be lost in coming decades. A team at UCL is using animation software to preserve these languages in an entirely new way. It's estimated that there are over 7,000 documented languages spoken across the world. Yet around half of these languages are endangered. Between 1950 and 2021, around 230 languages were wiped from human memory. About 1,500 endangered and rare languages are at a high risk of being lost in the next century. The consequences of language loss - also known as linguicide - are felt around the world, affecting identity and well-being as well as culture and linguistic diversity.