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Current Trends in Language Documentation and the Hans Rausing Endangered Languages Project. Lenore A. Grenoble Dartmouth College. Lenore A. Grenoble Linguistics & Cognitive Science, Dartmouth College & Peter K. Austin ELAP, Department of Linguistics SOAS. Outline.
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Current Trends in Language Documentationandthe Hans Rausing Endangered Languages Project Lenore A. Grenoble Dartmouth College Lenore A. Grenoble Linguistics & Cognitive Science, Dartmouth College & Peter K. Austin ELAP, Department of Linguistics SOAS
Outline • What is language documentation? • Why has documentation emerged now? • The Hans Rausing Endangered Languages Project • Current 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 • descriptionand 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 folklore • poetics - metrical and music aspect of oral literature • anthropology - cultural aspects, kinship, interaction styles, ritual • oral history, and • education - 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 technology • increased focus on data • new attention to linguistic diversity • archiving concerns • other 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 Diversity • renewed focus on cross-linguistic typology • increasing 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 design • Establishment of field site, including negotiation of permissions • Funding application • Data collection and processing • Creation of outputs • Evaluation 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 Sprachen • E-MELD project of LinguistList • DELAMAN archives network • Hans 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
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 support • Community involvement, community-driven agendas • Archiving
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 description • where are the boundaries?
the responsibility of the linguist • in training community members? • in developing materials for community use?