Il greco salentino: una lingua come risorsa per una riscoperta d'identità

In this article, drawing on a series of authoritative contributions by 20th century linguists, I aim to reflect on the role of language researchers in the field of language planning and the study of endangered languages at the dawn of the third millennium, when the idea of the whole humanity's cultural growth and the socio-economic progress of smaller communities seem to clash with the possibility to safeguard linguistic diversity. The opportunity for discussing these issues derives not only from the theme and title of the scientific meeting in which it has been presented, but also from its direct reference to the linguistic investigations that are often conducted today on Griko, a language that, in several places where it was historically spoken, can now be said to be in danger of extinction.