Senegambia, language hotspot, language loss and endangerment, language diversity, language vitality

Drawing on the concept of the so-called “language hotspots”, conceived and developed by linguists Gregory D. Anderson and David Harrison, the article aims to provide evidence that the present-day Gambia and Senegal represent a concentrated region with many endangered languages. The author will introduce the assessment of both the archive and fieldwork data, with the focus put on the analysis of selected language vitality factors. The paper is meant as an unpretentious contribution to the field of documentary linguistics and/or language revitalization. Popis v anglickém jazyce: Drawing on the concept of the so-called “language hotspots”, conceived and developed by linguists Gregory D. Anderson and David Harrison, the article aims to provide evidence that the present-day Gambia and Senegal represent a concentrated region with many endangered languages. The author will introduce the assessment of both the archive and fieldwork data, with the focus put on the analysis of selected language vitality factors. The paper is meant as an unpretentious contribution to the field of documentary linguistics and/or language revitalization.