This chapter offers a critique of the idea that writing has unique or inherent benefits. It argues that the promise or potential of writing lies in what we do with writing, rather than what writing does to us. The chapter focuses on the ways in which we think with writing as well as how we label and organize our environment, and navigate the world, in both a literal and a metaphorical sense. It also shows how writing has evolved as a way of initiating and sustaining our social relationships. Writing can be used to mislead us, or to persuade us to do things we might later regret, and this is used to counter overenthusiastic claims about the promise of writing.

This chapter considers motivations for engaging in language revitalization efforts. These encompass a range of physical, social and psychological factors, including connecting with ancestors, the past, and cultural heritage; healing from personal or historical trauma; building community; knowledge and culture; well-being; and the cognitive benefits of mother-tongue education and multilingualism. Case studies explore the impact of revitalization on physical health and well-being in Okinawa, Japan; the community benefits of a participatory action research project in the Black Tai (Lao Song) community in Thailand; language revitalization benefits in Wymysiöeryś (Wilamowice, Poland). In this case older people, who had been persecuted, were able to connect with young people through rehabilitation activities and community events, improving well-being and leading to positive language attitudes. Finally, Nahuatl identity and prestige have been strengthened through a series of workshops in which native speakers and new speakers could read and discuss colonial Nahuatl documents written by their ancestors.