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Endangered Languages / Endangered Documentation

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|Case Studies    | Click an image to navigate this |Link            |
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|Work Room Link  |                                 |Ask-an-Expert   |
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           Endangered Languages / Endangered Documentation

  * Of the approximately 7,000 languages alive today, 96% are spoken
    by only 4% of the world's population (Crystal, 2000)
  * 80% may be gone by the end of this century (Krauss, 1992)
  * Although some are documented, the documentation is at risk

This site promotes best practices in digitizing language data.
Computer programs commonly used in field research, such as word
processors and spreadsheets, produce files that are often unreadable
after only a few years. Physical media like cassette tapes
deteriorate even when carefully stored. This site suggests how you
might collect, convert and store your data in robust digital formats.
The Entrance Hall introduces the importance of best practices in
digital language documentation. The Case Studies provide examples of
data digitization using the technologies presented in the Classroom.
The Reading Room hosts a searchable database of references, and
enables users to suggest additional resources. The Work Room enables
users to use online tools such as Charwrite, the Terminology Mapper
and FIELD to work with their data, and the Tool Room lists various
downloadable tools of use to field linguists, and enables users to
suggest additional tools. Ask an Expert is a forum through which
users may ask our panel of experts about creating and preserving
digital language documentation. The site can also be searched, and
user comments can be made on Class Room pages.

If you collect or use documentation of endangered languages, this
website is for you.

  * What are 'best practices'?
  * Best practices in a nutshell
  * Why follow best practices?
  * Endangered languages
  * Endangered documentation

Implementing digital best practices will make language documentation
more useful to you, as well as to the scientific and speaker
communities. It will also preserve irreplaceable linguistic
information for the benefit of future generations.

  * Start page for Linguists
  * Start page for Community Members
  * Start page for Archivists

The E-MELD project has drafted recommendations of best practice in
collaboration with other large projects devoted to developing digital
infrastructure in linguistics, e.g., the Open Language Archives
Community and DOBES. All of the suggestions have been reviewed by the
documentary linguists, archivists, and language engineers who have
attended the E-MELD summer workshops. Development and refinement of
these recommendations is ongoing; and we value your input and
comments.


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E-MELD School of Best Practice
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                                                          Copyright (c)
                                                           2001-2006
Cite this page:                    The E-MELD project is The LINGUIST
E-MELD. 2006. E-MELD School of     supported through the        List.
Best Practice.                     National Science        All rights
Online: http://emeld.org/school/   Foundation.              reserved.
index.html                                                       Last
                                                             updated:
                                                           4-Aug-2006

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