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Department of Linguistics

Applied Language Documentation and Description

Course Code:
15PLIH024
Unit value:
0.5
Taught in:
Term 1
Linguists studying a language, especially an endangered language, are often called upon to assist the local community in a wide range of aspects in applied language matters such as developing an orthography for an unwritten language, making a dictionary, developing and evaluating a language program, helping to articulate language policy, and producing multimedia and electronic publications. This course introduces students to these practical issues, and critically examines issues and problems work in this area raises. Examples will be drawn from successes and failures in applications of linguistic techniques to practical language problems, including CD-ROMs and web-based publication.

Prerequisites

General Linguistics

Objectives and learning outcomes of the course

Linguists studying a language, especially an endangered language, are often called upon to assist the local community in a wide range of aspects in applied language matters such as developing an orthography for an unwritten language, making a dictionary, developing and evaluating a language program, helping to articulate language policy, or producing language learning materials (including multimedia). This course introduces students to these practical issues, and critically examines issues and problems work in this area raises. Examples will be drawn from successes and failures in applications of linguistic techniques to practical language problems, including CD-ROMs and web-based publications.

Workload

This course is taught over 10 week with a two-hour lecture and a one-hour tutorial per week.

Scope and syllabus

  1. "Documentation vs. description", "Why document and describe endangered languages and for whom"
  2. Community involvement; the collaborative approach
  3. Orthography development
  4. Lexicography and dictionary making (including multimedia)
  5. Texts and translation
  6. Project planning, grant applications
  7. Communicating about our work
  8. Language change in language endangerment
  9. Language planning, language revitalisation and revival (overview – Field Linguistics pathway students will not do LSR)
  10. Language learning and teaching (including multimedia)

Method of assessment

This course is examined by coursework only.  An essay of 1,500 words to be submitted on day 5, after reading week in the term the course is taught (20%); an essay of 1,500 words to be submitted at the end of week 9 in the term in which the course is taught (20%); an essay of 3,500 words to be submitted at the end of week 1 in the term after which the course is taught (60%).

Suggested reading

Suggested preliminary reading, one or more of the following:
  • Crowley, Terry. 2007. Field Linguistics: A Beginner's Guide. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN: 978019921370 (readable and accessible, with good pointers) SOAS library A410.723 /982702, A410.723 /982703
  • Dorian, Nancy C. (ed.) 1989. Investigating Obsolescence: Studies in Language Contraction and Death. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. SOAS library A417 /576612, A417 /928604, A417 /928605, A417 /928618
  • Gippert, Jost, Nikolaus Himmelmann and Ulrike Mosel (eds) 2006. Essentials of Language Documentation. Berlin: Mouton. pp 67-86. SOAS library A025.0641/993184, A025.0641/994101, A025.0641/724328, A025.0641/724376, A025.0641/724377
  • Grenoble, Lenore A., and Whaley, Lindsay J. (eds.) 1998. Endangered Languages: Language Loss and Community Response. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. SOAS library A417 /751880, A417 /916408
  • Harrison, K. David. 2007. When Languages Die: The Extinction of the World's Languages and the Erosion of Human Knowledge. Oxford: Oxford University Press. SOAS library A417 /994030 (readable and accessible)
  • Nettle, Daniel and Suzanne Romaine 2000 Vanishing Voices. Oxford: OUP. (readable and accessible, with good pointers) SOAS library A417 /811017, A417/844753, A417 /725032
Week 1:  Introduction: communities, wants and needs, researcher stance
Required reading
  • Dauenhauer, Nora Marks, and Dauenhauer, Richard. 1998. Technical, emotional, and ideological issues in reversing language shift: examples from Southeast Alaska. In Endangered Languages: Language Loss and Community Response, eds. Lenore A. Grenoble and Lindsay J. Whaley. 57-98. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. SOAS Library A417/751880 and A417/916408
  • Dobrin, Lise. 2008. Eliciting the Linguist. Language 84/2: 300-324. SOAS Library Per 1 /24410
Background reading
  • Ostler, Nicholas. 1998. Endangered Languages: What Role for the Specialist? Papers presented at Second Foundation for Endangered Languages conference. Bath: Foundation for Endangered Languages. SOAS Library L A417/906308 or L A417/939237 (Outsize section)
  • Bradley, David, and Bradley, Maya eds. 2002. Language Endangerment and Language Maintenance: An Active Approach. London: Routledge. SOAS library A417 /722977
Week 2:  Community involvement; the collaborative approach
Required reading
  • Grinevald, Colette. 2003. Speakers and documentation of endangered languages. In Language Documentation and Description, vol. 1 ed. Peter K. Austin. London: Hans Rausing Endangered Languages Project. SOAS library Per 1 /656387
  • Yamada, R. 2007. Collaborative linguistic fieldwork: Practical application of the empowerment model. Language Documentation and Conservation 1: 257-282. http://nflrc.hawaii. edu/ldc/December2007/yamada/yamada.pdf
Background reading
  • Mosel, Ulrike, 2006. Fieldwork and community language work, in Jost Gippert, Nikolaus Himmelmann and Ulrike Mosel (eds) Essentials of Language Documentation. Berlin: Mouton. pp 67-86. SOAS library A025.0641/993184, A025.0641/994101, A025.0641/724328, A025.0641/724376, A025.0641/724377
  • Florey, M. 2004. Language activism and the “new linguistics”: Expanding opportunities for documenting endangered languages in Indonesia. Language Documentation and Description, Vol. 5 ed. Peter K. Austin. London: Hans Rausing Endangered Languages Project. SOAS library Per 1 /656387
Week 3:  Language planning and policy, language rights
Required reading
  • Romaine, Suzanne. 2002. The Impact of Language Policy on Endangered Languages. International Journal on Multicultural Societies., 4/2: 194-212. UNESCO. ISSN 1817-4574. www.unesco.org/shs/ijms/vol4/issue2/art3
  • May, Stephen. 2003. Rearticulating the case for minority language rights. Current Issues in Language Planning 4:95–125. http://www.multilingual-matters.net/cilp/004/cilp0040095.htm
Background reading
  • Kymlicka, Will, and Patten, Alan. 2003. Language Rights and Political Theory. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 23:3-21.
  • May, Stephen 2001 Language and Minority Rights: Ethnicity, Nationalism and the Politics of Language. Longman. SOAS library A417 /713721
  • Sallabank, Julia. 2005. Prestige From the Bottom Up: A Review of Language Planning in Guernsey. Current Issues In Language Planning 6/1: 44-64.
  • Spolsky, Bernard 2004 Language Policy. Cambridge University Press. SOAS Library A417 /967223
Week 4: Language support, revitalisation and revival
Required reading
  • Hinton, Leanne. 2001. Language Revitalisation: An Overview. In Hinton, Leanne, and Hale, Ken eds. The Green Book of Language Revitalization in Practice. San Diego: Academic Press. SOAS library, L A417 /841513 (outsize section)
  • Grenoble, Lenore A., and Whaley, Lindsay J. 2006. Saving Languages: An Introduction to Language Revitalization. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ch.s 3&4 (models and case studies). SOAS library A409 /937228 and A409 /725138
  • Amery, Rob. 1995. ‘It's Ours to Keep and Call Our Own: Reclamation of the Nunga Languages in the Adelaide Region, South Australia.’ International Journal of the Sociology of Language 113: 63-82. Accessible via SOAS library electronic journals.
Background reading
  • Grenoble and Whaley 2006 (see above)
  • Fishman, Joshua A. ed. 1991. Reversing Language Shift: Theoretical and Empirical Foundations of Assistance to Threatened Languages. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. SOAS library A417 /623443 and A417 /916369
  • Fishman, Joshua A. ed. 2001. Can Threatened Languages be Saved? Reversing Language Shift, Revisited: A 21st Century Perspective. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. SOAS library A417 /833718
  • Hinton, Leanne, and Hale, Ken eds. 2001. The Green Book of Language Revitalization in Practice. San Diego: Academic Press. SOAS library, L A417 /841513 (outsize section)
Week 5:  Literacy and orthography development
Required reading
  • Boerger, Brenda H. 2007. Natqgu Literacy. Language Documentation and Conservation Vol. 1, no. 2: pp.126-153. http://hdl.handle.net/10125/1601
  • Hinton, Leanne. 2001. New Writing Systems in in Hinton, Leanne, and Hale, Ken eds. 2002. The Green Book of Language Revitalization in Practice. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 239-250. SOAS library, L A417 /841513 (outsize section)
  • Olson, David R. and Nancy Torrance. 2001. Ch.1: ‘Conceptualizing literacy’ in Olson, David R. and Nancy Torrance. (eds) The Making of Literate Societies. Blackwell. SOAS library A302.2244 /950625, A302.2244 /950626, A302.2244 /950627, A302.2244 /950628
Background reading
  • Bielenberg, Brian. 1999. Indigenous language codification: cultural effects. In Jon Reyhner et al. (ed.): Revitalizing Indigenous Languages, Flagstaff, AZ: Northern Arizona University (pp. 103-112). http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/RIL_8.html
  • Coulmas, Florian. 2003. Writing systems: an introduction to their linguistic analysis. Cambridge University Press SOAS library A411 /950699, A411 /950700, A411 /950701, A411 /950702
  • Grenoble and Whaley 2006, ch’s 5&6
  • Harrison, David & Anderson, Gregory. 2005. Na(t)ive orthographies and language endangerment: Two case studies from Siberia. Linguistic Discovery 4/1. http://journals.dartmouth.edu/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Journals.woa/2/xmlpage/1/article/304?htmlOnce=yesSeifart, Frank 2006 ‘Orthography development’ in Jost Gippert, Nikolaus Himmelmann and Ulrike Mosel (eds) Essentials of Language Documentation. Berlin: Mouton. SOAS library A025.0641/993184, A025.0641/994101, A025.0641/724328, A025.0641/724376, A025.0641/724377
  • Mühlhäusler, Peter. 1990. "Reducing" Pacific languages to writing. In Ideologies of Language, eds. James Earl Joseph and Talbot J. Taylor. 189-205. London: Routledge. SOAS library A410 /608602
  • Olson, David R. and Nancy Torrance (eds) 2001 The Making of Literate Societies. Blackwell. SOAS library A302.2244 /950625, A302.2244 /950626, A302.2244 /950627, A302.2244 /950628
  • Sebba, Mark. 2007. Spelling and Society. Cambridge University Press. (esp, ch 8) SOAS library A411 /967146
Week 6:  Lexicography and dictionary making
Required reading
  • Corris, Miriam, Christopher Manning, Susan Poetsch and Jane Simpson. 2002. Dictionaries and endangered languages. In Bradley, David, and Bradley, Maya eds. Language Endangerment and Language Maintenance: An Active Approach. London: Routledge. Ch 19, pp. 329-347. SOAS library A417/722977
  • Frawley, William, Kenneth C. Hill and Pamela Munro. 2002. Making Dictionaries: Preserving Indigenous Languages of the Americas. University of California Press. Introduction (pp. 1-22), SOAS library A497 /982704
  • Mosel, Ulrike, 2004. Dictionary making in endangered speech communities. In: Peter Austin (ed.) Language documentation and description, Vol. 2, Endangered Languages Project. London: School of Oriental and African Studies, 39-54. SOAS library Per 1 /656387
Background reading
  • Frawley, Hill and Munro ch’s 6, 7, 10, 12-14
  • Atkins, B. T. Sue and Michael Rundell. 2008. The Oxford Guide to Practical Lexicography. Oxford University Press. SOAS library A413.028 /983529, A413.028 /983530
Week 7:  Texts and translation
Required reading
  • Evans, Nicholas and Hans-Juergen Sasse. 2006. ‘Searching for meaning in the Library of Babel: field semantics and problems of digital archiving’ Melbourne University, MS.
Background reading
  • Newmark, Peter. 1988. A textbook of translation. New York/London: Prentice Hall. SOAS Library A418.02 /688306, A418.02/725132, A418.02/725134, A418.02/725133 Ch‘s 2, 3, 5, 9
  • Baker, M. (1992) In Other Words: a coursebook on translation. London: Routledge. SOAS library A418.02 /688796, A418.02 /720893, A418.02 /688795, A418.02 /974410
  • Rubel, P. G. and A. Rosman (2003) Translating Cultures: Perspectives on Translation and Anthropology. Oxford: Berg. SOAS library A306 /831860 or A306 /918160
Week 8:  First and second language learning and teaching
Required reading
  • Hinton, Leanne. 2001. ‘Teaching Methods’ in Hinton, Leanne, and Hale, Ken eds. 2002. The Green Book of Language Revitalization in Practice. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 179-189 SOAS library, L A417 /841513 (outsize section)
  • Hinton, Leanne. 2003. ‘How to teach when the teacher isn't fluent’ in Nurturing Native Languages, eds. John Reyhner, Octaviana Trujillo, Roberto Luis Carrasco and Louise Lockard, pp. 79-92. Flagstaff, Arizona: Northern Arizona University. Free online at http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/NNL/
Background reading
  • Lightbown, Patsy and Spada, Nina. 2006. How Languages are Learned (3rd edn). Oxford University Press. SOAS library has 2 copies A401.93 / A401.93 /983531; Institute of Education Library has 4 copies, Mar Jagf LIG
  • Teaching Indigenous Languages website http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/TIL.html, especially: Cantoni, Gina P. 1999. ‘Using TPR-Storytelling to Develop Fluency and Literacy in Native American Languages’ in Revitalizing Indigenous Languages, eds. Jon Reyhner, Gina Cantoni, Robert N. St. Clair, and Evangeline Parsons Yazzie (pp. 53-58). Flagstaff, AZ: Northern Arizona University. Free online at http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/RIL_5.html
Week 9:  Advocacy and communicating about our work
Required reading
  • Dobrin, L., P. Austin and D. Nathan. 2007. Dying to be counted: the commodification of endangered languages in documentary linguistics. In P. Austin, O. Bond, and D. Nathan (eds.). Proceedings of Conference on Language Documentation and Linguistic Theory, 7-8 December 2007. London: School of Oriental and African Studies. 59-68. (expanded version now published in LDD 6)
  • Hill, J. H. 2002. ‘Expert Rhetorics’ in advocacy for endangered languages: who Is listening, and what do they hear? Journal of Linguistic Anthropology 12: 119-133. (electronic version available through SOAS library on site)
  • Rivenburgh, Nancy. 2004. Do we really understand the issue? Media coverage of endangered languages. Presentation at international conference on Communication and Cultural Diversity at the Barcelona Universal Forum of Cultures, May 25, 2004 in Barcelona, Spain. http://www.aiic.net/ViewPage.cfm/page1512.htm
Background reading
  • Duchêne, Alexandre and Heller, Monica. 2007. Discourses of Endangerment: Ideology and Interest in the Defence of Languages. London: Continuum. SOAS library A417 /969755
Week 10:  Multimedia support for endangered languages
Required reading
  • Nathan, David and Éva Á. Csató 2006. "Multimedia: A community oriented information and communication technology". In Anju Saxena & Lars Borin (eds) Lesser-known languages of South Asia. Status and policies, case studies and applications of information technology. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. 257-277.
Background reading
  • Rau , D. Victoria and Yang Meng-Chien. 2007. E-Learning in Endangered Language Documentation and Revitalization. In Language Documentation & Conservation Special Publication No. 1: Documenting and Revitalizing Austronesian Languages Edited by D. Victoria Rau and Margaret Florey. University of Hawai‘i Press, https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/1355/1/07rau.pdf
  • Penfield, Susan, Phil Cash Cash, and Christina Roberts. 2004. Technology-Enhanced Language Revitalization. University of Arizona, Tucson. Downloadable from http://projects.ltc.arizona.edu/gates/TELR_manual.html
  • Ode, C. Endangered Languages interactive e-learning module http://www.endangeredlanguages.nl/uknwostart640480c.html
  • Various CD-ROMS and websites available through Endangered Languages Archives