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Transcript of Current Trends in Language Documentation and the Hans Rausing Endangered Languages Project Lenore A....
Current Trends in Language Documentationand
the Hans Rausing Endangered Languages Project
Lenore A. GrenobleDartmouth College
Lenore A. GrenobleLinguistics & Cognitive Science, Dartmouth College
&
Peter K. AustinELAP, Department of Linguistics SOAS
Outline
What is language documentation?Why has documentation emerged now?The Hans Rausing Endangered Languages
ProjectCurrent and future concerns
What is language documentation?
“a comprehensive record of the linguistic practices characteristic of a given speech community”
(Himmelman 1998:166)
Documentation versus Description
Description: aims at a record of the language {including abstract elements, rules, etc.}
Documentation: aims at records of the linguistic practices and traditions of a speech community
Documentation versus Description
language documentation: systematic recording, transcription, translation and analysis of the broadest possible variety of spoken (and written) language samples collected within their appropriate social and cultural context
language description: grammar, dictionary, text collection, typically written for linguists
Documentation versus Description
documentation is discourse-centered
primary goal => direct representation of naturally occurring discourse
description and analysis are contingent by-products
The documentation record
the core of a documentation is a corpus of audio and/or video materials with time-aligned transcription, multi-tier annotation, translation into a language of wider communication, and relevant metadata on context and use of the materials
the corpus will ideally be large, cover a diverse range of genres and contexts, be expandable, opportunistic, portable, transparent, ethical and preservable
as a result documentation is increasingly done by teams rather than ‘lone wolf linguists’
grammatical analysis and description are tertiary-level activities contingent on and emergent from the documentation corpus
Uses of documentation
documentation of a language can provide an empirical basis for: linguistic research - phonology, grammar, discourse,
sociolinguistics, typology, historical reconstruction folklore - oral literature and folklorepoetics - metrical and music aspect of oral literatureanthropology - cultural aspects, kinship, interaction styles,
ritualoral history, andeducation - applications in teaching language revitalization
Users of documentation
collection, analysis and presentation of data should be useful not only for linguistics but also for
research into the socio-cultural life of the community should be analyzed and processed so it can be
understood by researchers of other disciplines and does not require any prior knowledge of the language in question
should be usable by members of the speaker community should respect intellectual property rights, moral rights,
individual and cultural sensitivities about access and use
Why now?
advances in technologyincreased focus on data new attention to linguistic diversityarchiving concernsother stakeholders
Why now?
Technology:
developments in ICT for linguistic data recording, digital capture and manipulation, representation and maintenance
Why now?
Data:
increased focus on data and replicability of descriptive analyses, e.g. grammars with linked corpus
Why now?
Linguistic Diversityrenewed focus on cross-linguistic
typologyincreasing concern for endangerment of
languages and language practices
Concerns for archiving and data preservation
Why now?
Stakeholders:
growing awareness that linguistics has crucial stakeholders well beyond the academic community; in endangered language communities themselves, and beyond
Stages in documentation project
Project conceptualization and designEstablishment of field site, including
negotiation of permissionsFunding applicationData collection and processingCreation of outputsEvaluation and reporting
Stages in documentation data process
Recording (media, text, metadata)Capture (moving to digital domain)Analysis (transcription, translation, annotation,
notation of metadata)Archiving (creating archival objects, assigning
access and usage rights)Mobilization (publication, distribution)
Skills for language documentation
Project conception and design - familiarity with documentation theory, data structuring, socio-cultural issues
Grant application writing Data recording - ICT skills, fieldmethods skills Annotation - transcription, linguistic analysis
(phonology, morphology, syntax), use of tools (Transcriber, Shoebox/Toolbox, ELAN, IMDI)
Archiving - data representation, XML, relational databases
Responses:
Endangered Language Fund (US)Foundation for Endangered Languages (UK)DEL: Documenting Endangered Languages
(NSF/NEH/Smithsonian)DoBeS: Dokumentation Bedrohter SprachenE-MELD project of LinguistListDELAMAN archives networkHans Rausing Endangered Languages Project
Hans Rausing Endangered Languages Project
The Documentation Programme (ELDP) provides research grants
The Academic Programme (ELAP) runs postgraduate programs in Field Linguistics & Language Documentation and Description
The Archive Programme (ELAR) archives & disseminates language documentation
HRELP
Hans Rausing Endangered Languages Project (HRELP) funded by Lisbet Rausing Charitable Fund, based at SOAS, University of London, distributes £1million per year in 5 types of grants
50 teams of researchers around the world documenting languages and cultures
Digital archive at SOAS Academic program for training MA, PhD, post-doctoral
researchers Publishing books, newsletter, CD-ROMs, website
HRELP projects
Types of grants
Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship
Major Documentation Project
Individual Graduate Studentship
Pilot Project Grant
Field Trip Grant
Types of grants
Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship: 2 years, fieldwork, salary (£50,000-100,000)
Major Documentation Project: 6 months-2 years, large projects (£40,000-130,000)
Individual Graduate Studentship: up to 2 years, fieldwork, stipend (£15,000)
Pilot Project Grant: pilot projects (£6000)Field Trip Grant: for fieldwork, 6-12 months
(£10,000)
The Model
Team approach (versus the “lone wolf” linguist)Tech supportCommunity involvement, community-driven
agendasArchiving
Practical issues
How does one formulate a team? (Potential) conflicts: community-driven
documentation versus linguist-driven documentation
Intellectual property rights, archiving and access
Theoretical issues
documentation = a “comprehensive record” of a language (Himmelman)what is “comprehensive”?how much is enough?
what is “quality” documentation“best practices” versus “pretty good practices”
documentation versus descriptionwhere are the boundaries?
the responsibility of the linguist
in training community members?in developing materials for community use?
The end