The UNESCO World Atlas of Languages as a Tool for Promoting Brazilian Linguistic Diversity

The dissemination of scientific knowledge has long been a secondary or even neglected aspect within the academicsphere. To overcome this scenario, scientific dissemination has gradually emerged as a movement for transmittingscientific knowledge in a unidirectional and vertical model, in which the scientist assumes the role of sender and thegeneral public that of receiver. More recently, however, scientific dissemination has progressed toward a dialogical andparticipatory approach – namely, a bidirectional and horizontal model. The field of Linguistics, however, still faceschallenges due to its historical constitution as a science marked by the distancing of those considered laypersons. Inthis context, UNESCO World Atlas of Languages emerges as an instrument for the popularization of linguisticknowledge, promoting awareness of linguistic diversity and the participation of a previously overlooked public. Thus,this article aims to discuss UNESCO World Atlas of Languages as a tool for the popularization of Linguistics, specificallyregarding its methodology of collaborative production between researchers and the non-linguist public – a public thatoften consists of speakers of marginalized languages under the monolingual conception established and reinforced inBrazil.