Abstract

The digital age, characterized by pervasive IoT connectivity and advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT, is fundamentally reshaping the landscape of language and literature education. This era witnesses the proliferation of cyber literature and the emergence of connectivity as a new paradigm for network-based learning, promising enhanced student engagement, motivation, and personalized experiences. However, the integration of AI also raises critical concerns about originality, creativity, and the essential need for verification of information. Concurrently, the world’s linguistic interconnectedness is increasingly structured by Global Language Networks (GLNs), where English functions as a central global hub, significantly influencing information flow and the visibility of cultural content. This globalizing trend unfolds against a backdrop of an urgent crisis in linguistic diversity, with nearly half of the approximately 7,000 documented languages facing endangerment, and projections indicating a substantial increase in language loss without targeted interventions. Key predictors of this decline include greater road density and formal schooling policies that, if not bilingual-supportive, can contribute to the erosion of minority language vitality. This research topic investigates the intricate interplay of these digital forces and GLNs on the preservation and revitalization of linguistic diversity within language and literature education, seeking to identify strategies that leverage technological opportunities to safeguard and promote global linguistic heritage.