How to Kill a Language by Sophia Smith Galer

How to Kill a Language by Sophia Smith Galer

'Moving, beautiful and important' FINANCIAL TIMES, BEST SUMMER BOOKS 2026

'Punchy and persuasive' SUNDAY TIMES

As Sophia Smith Galer’s Nonna lay dying, she realised it wasn’t just a beloved grandmother she was losing – it was the language she spoke, too. From Northern Italy, she spoke a dialët that Sophia, like so many children and grandchildren of migrants, can understand but can’t speak. With the death of the language, Sophia would lose a culture, a history, an inheritance – a whole world.

This tragedy reaches far beyond her family. Globally we are witnessing an unprecedented mass extinction event. By the end of this century half of the world’s 7000 languages will be gone, killed by war, climate breakdown, migration, nationalism or neglect, along with the vital knowledge that they have sustained for centuries.

Award-winning journalist Smith Galer has journeyed across continents and generations to report from this disappearing world. From Ghana to Greece, Ecuador to Oman, California to the UK, she meets people experiencing this loss at first hand – but also campaigners and linguists who prove that a multilingual future is still possible. Her travels ultimately lead her back to where she began: to Italy, and the tiny mountainside village where the church bells still ring out for her Nonna.

How to Kill a Language is an impassioned investigation into a hidden global crisis, and a call to speak, read and write the languages of our world, before it’s too late.

'An extremely moving, passionate plea' CAL FLYN

'Everyone should read this book' OLIA HERCULES

Sophia Smith Galer is an award-winning journalist, author and content creator based in London. She won the British Journalism Award for Innovation of the Year for her work, as well as recognition on lists such as Forbes Under 30 and British Vogue’s 25 Most Influential Women in the UK. She has reported across four continents for the BBC and VICE News; her videos have been seen more than 160 million times on TikTok and Instagram where she explores etymology, language rights and linguistics. She studied Spanish and Arabic at Durham University and her family speak Italian and a variety of Emilian.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780008723729
ISBN 10	0008723729
Title	How to Kill a Language
Author	Smith Galer Sophia
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	William Collins
Year published	2026-05-07
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.