The idea to edit a volume on language endangerment and language preservation in South Asia followed from a scholarly panel dedicated to the topic which convened at ISCTE-IUL in Lisbon (Portugal) on July 25th 2012, as part of the 22nd European Conference on South Asian Studies. I am particularly indebted to the authors for their contributions and patient revisions of their texts, and also to the numerous reviewers who collaborated in the editorial process. A special word of thanks goes to Pedro Pombo for his crucial assistance with formatting the text for publication. Finally, I thank Nick Thieberger for the opportunity to publish this volume as a companion to Language Documentation & Conservation. The journal’s open-access policy ensures that these articles can circulate easily and widely; it is hoped that the insights, warnings and suggestions in these pages will be useful not only to scholars, but also to speakers, language activists and policy-makers alike.
