The event

Brazil is a multilingual country, although its linguistic diversity is almost always silenced. Viva Living Language is an affirmation and an engaging and engaging calling, extolling the importance of language survival in a world that has become increasingly homogeneous and does not seem to care about the exponential disappearance of languages ​​and ways of living.

The International Conference Viva Língua Viva 2019, to be held at the College of Letters of UFRJ and at the National Museum, in Rio de Janeiro, from November 11 to 14, 2019, aims to bring together members of indigenous communities, students and researchers from universities, museums and other research and documentation institutions to discuss, exchange and foster the development of actions of preservation, revitalization and resumption of indigenous and minority languages. It was conceived by members of the Graduate Program in Linguistics at UFRJ, with accumulated experience in documentation and revitalization, within the scope of the international academic agreement between UFRJ and Massey University of New Zealand, which served as the basis for the establishment of CAPES / PRINT missions between professors of the two universities, in both directions. The International Seminary Viva Viva Língua 2019 was hosted as a national project by the Brazilian Association of Linguistics – ABRALIN, which proposed that the event becomes a regular activity of the Association, integrating it into its activities. Institutional support has also been received from the Brazilian Association of Anthropology – ABA, Museum of the Indigenous Peoples-FUNAI / RJ, UNESCO, Massey University and the Embassy of New Zealand in Brazil.

The name Viva Língua Viva is expressive, because in addition to the descriptive content of support for linguistic survival, it has the value of affirmation and calling, stressing the importance of the survival of languages, in a world that is becoming increasingly homogeneous and does not seem to care much about the exponential disappearance of languages and cultures. Viva Língua Viva is therefore an affirmation and an engaging call for the survival of the word languages. The word língua “language” is involved by the Viva “Long life to” exortative verbal form and by the adjective Viva “alive”, claiming for awareness and action to face this immense challenge for linguistic and cultural diversity on Earth.