Russ Rymer
Best magazine reporting from abroad
AWARD DATE: 2012
AWARD NAME: 10 The Ed Cunningham Award 2012
AWARD RECIPIENT: Russ Rymer with photographer Lynn Johnson
AWARD RECIPIENT AFFILIATION: National Geographic Magazine
AWARD HONORED WORK: Vanishing Languages
“When small communities abandon their languages and switch to English or Spanish, there is a massive disruption in the transfer of traditional knowledge across generations,” writes Russ Rymer in this subtle and moving investigation of the centuries-long decimation of tribal languages. From the 2,000 speakers of the Aka language in India to the Seri speakers of Mexico’s Sonoran Desert, who are bringing the language back after it dwindled to 1,000 speakers, to the growing number of Tuvan speakers in Siberia, Rymer’s report gives us a broad look across multiple cultures about the ongoing rescue of the world’s dying languages.
Citation(s) for Excellence:
Jon Lee Anderson
The New Yorker
The Syrian Tragedy
Evan Osnos
The New Yorker
Boss Rail