How to Kill a Language

by Sophia Smith Galer

Cover of How to Kill a Language

Reception

2026
Chicago Review of Books
Reviewed by Christopher Bigelow, 13 July
2026
The New Yorker
Reviewed by Nikhil Krishnan, 27 July

Read the 2 reviews

The New Yorker · 27 July 2026

Sometimes It’s O.K. to Let a Language Die

By Nikhil Krishnan

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Chicago Review of Books · 13 July 2026

Sophia Smith Galer’s “How to Kill a Language” and the Race to Save Linguistic Diversity

“Wouldn’t it be easier if we all spoke the same language?” asks author Sophia Smith Galer in the conclusion of her book How to Kill a Language. I’ll be the first to admit that I am woefully monolingual, despite studying Latin in high school and college, and daily Duolingo has barely moved the…

By Christopher Bigelow

Read at Chicago Review of Books (opens in a new tab)

Catalogue record

ISBN: 978-0-00-872373-6

Full recordClose

ISBN: 978-0-00-872373-6
Author: Galer, Sophia Smith
Statement: How to Kill a Language / Sophia Smith Galer.
Records: Open Library