TheLastLanguageonEarthisanethnographichistoryofthedisputedEskayanlanguage,spokentodaybyanisolateduplandcommunitylivingontheislandofBoholinthesouthernPhilippines.AfterEskayapeoplewerefirst’discovered’in1980,visitorsdescribedthegroupasalosttribepreservingauniquelanguageandwritingsystem.OthersarguedthattheEskayaweremerelymembersofautopianruralcultwhohadinventedtheirownlanguageandscript.Ratherthanadjudicatingoutsiderpolemics,thisbookengagesdirectlywiththelanguageitselfaswellasthedirectperspectivesofthosewhouseittoday.Throughwrittenandoralaccounts,Eskayapeoplehaverepresentedtheirlanguageasanancestralcreationderivedfromahumanbody.Reinforcingthistraditionalview,PiersKelly’slinguisticanalysisshowshowacomplexnewregisterwasbroughtintobeingbyfusingnewvocabularyontoamodifiedlocalgrammar.Inasynthesisoflinguistic,ethnographic,andhistoricalevidence,apictureemergesofacoastalcommunitythatfledtheravagesoftheU.S.invasionoftheislandin1901inordertobuildautopiansocietyinthehills.Heretheypredictedthattheworld’slanguageswoulddeclineleavingEskayanasthelastlanguageonearth.Marshallinganthropologicaltheoriesofnationalism,authenticity,andlanguageideology,alongwithcomparisonstosimilareventsacrosshighlandSoutheastAsia,Kellyoffersaconvincingaccountofthislinguisticmysteryandalsoshowsitsbroaderrelevancetolinguisticanthropology.AlthoughtheEskayansituationisunusual,ithasthepowertoilluminatethepivotalrolethatlanguageplaysinthepursuitofidentity-buildingandpoliticalresistance.
AUTHENTICITY LANGUAGE authenticity
