The Hans Rausing Endangered Languages ProjectThe Hans Rausing Endangered Languages Project   The Hans Rausing Endangered Languages Project

Endangered Languages Projects

Projects funded by ELDP grants

Documenting Kurtoep in a Historical Perspective: a Grammar, Dictionary and Texts
Ms Gwendolyn Lowes, University of Oregon. 2007-2009.

This discourse-based descriptive and historical grammar of the endangered Kurtoep language will provide one of the first descriptions of language in Bhutan. The proposed research will be conducted in ... more

A comprehensive comparative grammar of the Turung and Singpho languages of Assam
Dr Stephen Morey, La Trobe University . 2005-2007.

This project will document two related languages of the Jinghpaw group within Tibeto-Burman: Turung, with perhaps 1000 speakers and Singpho, with perhaps 2500 speakers. Both languages are under ... more

A descriptive grammar of two Magar dialects: Tanahu and Syangja Magar
Dr Karen Grunow-Harsta, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. 2006-2007.

The project will result in a comprehensive grammar, dictionary and transcribed texts from two dialects of Magar: Syangja and Tanahu. Magar is an endangered Tibeto-Burman language of Nepal. It is a ... more

A dictionary of Eastern Penan
Dr Peter Sercombe, Northumbria University. 2003-2004.

Eastern Penan is a Western Austronesian language, exclusive to Sarawak in east Malaysia and neighbouring Brunei, in northeast Borneo. It is an endangered language with considerably less than 10,000 ... more

A Documentation of Walungge, a Tibetan language in Eastern Nepal
Mrs Cathy Bartram, SOAS. 2007-2009.

Walungge is a previously undocumented and undescribed Tibetan language in north east Nepal. This project aims to produce a collection of audio and video recordings to be transcribed, annotated and ... more

A first appraisal of Banouk and its main contact language Mandinka
Dr Friederike Lupke , SOAS. 2008-2008.

The project consists of a sociolinguistic survey of the highly endangered Atlantic language Bainouk, and a first step towards its documentation, taking into account the main contact language ... more

A first Kayardild audiovisual text corpus, with prosodic annotations
Professor Louis Goldstein, Yale University . 2005-2005.

Kayardild has eight remaining fluent speakers, all elderly, on Mornington and Bentinck Islands, Australia. The language is described in a grammar, a dictionary, and an initial intonational phonology, ... more

A text documentation of N|uu
Dr Tom Güldemann, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany. 2007-2010.

The project aims at a fuller text documentation of N|uu, the last South African San language and the only surviving member of the !Ui branch of the isolate family Tuu. The language is highly ... more

Aleut Conversation Corpus
Dr Alice Taff, The University of Washington. 2003-2005.

The Aleut language, indigenous to the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands, Alaska, USA, is a branch of the Eskimo-Aleut language family. To preserve the manner and content of Aleut discourse, this project ... more

An Arapaho analytical dictionary and concordance
Ms Lisa Conathan, University of California at Berkeley. 2004-2006.

Documentation and production of an analytical and cultural dictionary which include, in addition to English-Arapaho and Arapaho-English glosses, morphological analysis, etymology (including ... more

Arandic Songs project
Dr Myfany Turpin, University of Queensland. 2006-2008.

This project will record and document ceremonial performances from the northern Arandic group of languages of Central Australia as a resource for maintaining traditions and for appropriate research. ... more

Barupu grammar and lexicography
Ms Miriam Corris, University of Sydney. 2003-2005.

Ms Corris aims to complete her doctoral dissertation; a descriptive grammar of Barupu, including glossed texts and a word list. Barupu is a previously undescribed non-Austronesian language, spoken by ... more

Ceq Wong and Mah Meri: the documentation of two Aslian languages of the Malay Peninsula
Dr Nicole Kruspe, University of Melbourne. 2005-2007.

Documentation of Ceq Wong, producing a comprehensive grammatical description, trilingual dictionary and text collection. Documentation of Mah Meri will produce a shorter grammar, text collection and ... more

Cha'palaa Documentation Project
Dr Connie Dickinson, Universidad San Francisco de Quito. 2006-2006.

The project will document the culture and language of the Chachi, an indigenous group living in northwestern Ecuador. Videos from a wide range of contexts and genres will be transcribed, translated, ... more

Choguita Raramuri (Tarahumara) documenation and description
Gabriela Caballero Hernandez, University of California, Berkeley. 2006-2008.

Choguita Raramuri (Tarahumara) is an underdescribed,endangered Uto-Aztecan language spoken in Northern Mexico. In cooperation with community members, this project will produce documentation in the ... more

Classical song traditions of contemporary Western Arnhem Land in their multilingual context
Dr Linda Barwick, University of Sydney. 2006-2009.

The classical song traditions of Western Arnhem Land are amongst the foremost examples of verbal art in the nine endangered languages of the region, but few people are now competent to perform or ... more

Corpus of grammar and discourse strategies of deaf native users of Auslan (Australian Sign Language)
Professor Trevor Johnston, Macquarie University . 2004-2007.

Auslan (Australian Sign Language) is the native signed language of the deaf community in Australia. It has evolved from forms of British Sign Language, which were brought to Australia in the 19th ... more

Dalabon Oral Histories Project
Ms Sarah Cutfield, Monash University. 2006-2008.

Dalabon is a severely endangered Australian Aboriginal language of a diaspora population which lives in southern and western Arnhem Land, Australia. As a result of the grantee's contact with this ... more

Description and Documentation of Ayutla Mixe
Mr Rodrigo Romero Mendez, University at Buffalo . 2005-2005.

This project seeks to collect data for the description and documentation of Ayutla Mixe. This language is spoken in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, and belongs to the Mixean branch of the ... more

Description of Apurină (Arawak)
Dr Sidney Facundes, Universidade Federale do Pará. 2003-2005.

The purpose of the project is to accomplish detailed description and documentation of the Apurină language (Arawak family). This highly endangered language is spoken in the Amazon region of ... more

Dictionary of Archi (Daghestanian) with sound files and cultural materials
Professor Greville Corbett, University of Surrey. 2004-2007.

Our purpose is to create a dictionary of Archi, a highly endangered language spoken in one village of a remote mountain region in Daghestan. Archi is remarkable both for linguistic reasons, and in ... more

Digital Archiving Yami Language Documentation
Professor Der-Hwa Victoria Rau, Providence University, Taiwan . 2005-2007.

The goal of this project is to prepare digital archive materials, with a team from Providence University in Taiwan, to document the Yami language and facilitate preservation and dissemination of the ... more

Discovering Mafea: texts, grammar, and lexicon
Ms Valérie Guérin, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. (UHM) . 2005-2007.

This project proposes to record and describe Mafea, an Austronesian language spoken by about 200 people on Mafea island, northern Vanuatu. To date, the only publication about the language is a ... more

Documentation and analysis of Haisla and Henaaksiala (North Wakashan) of Kitamaat Village, British Columbia
Professor Emmon Bach, SOAS. 2004-2006.

The primary purpose of the project is to gather and analyze new materials on Haisla and Henaaksiala, Northern Wakashan language varieties (dialects) of Kitamaat Village, British Columbia. The project ... more

Documentation and Comparative Study of two Endangered Languages in Tibet: Wutunhua, Daohua
Dr Yeshes Vodgsal Acuo, University of Nankai. 2004-2006.

Daohua and Wutunhua are isolated linguistic islands within the vast Tibetan-speaking area. Daohua is spoken by approximately 2,600 people in eastern Tibet, and Wutunhua is spoken by about 2000 people ... more

Documentation and description of Bierebo, a Southern Oceanic language of Vanuatu
Mr Peter Budd, School of Oriental & African Studies . 2005-2007.

Bierebo is an undescribed Oceanic language spoken on the island of Epi in Vanuatu. There are an estimated 800 speakers who live in several villages mainly on the west coast. Working in conjunction ... more

Documentation and description of Dulong
Mr Ross Perlin, SOAS. 2008-2010.

Dulong is a Tibeto-Burman language variety spoken in Gongshan Nu and Dulong Autonomous County, Yunnan Province, China, in villages alongside the Nu and Dulong rivers. With under 10,000 speakers, the ... more

Documentation and Description of Hidatsa
Mr Indrek Park, Indiana University. 2006-2007.

The goal of this project is the documentation of Hidatsa, a language spoken by less than 200 people in North Dakota, USA. Revitalization efforts of Hidatsa have been impeded by the lack of materials ... more

Documentation and description of Ikaan, a language in Southern Nigeria
Sophie Salffner, SOAS. 2007-2008.

The project aims to produce a collection of annotated audio recordings of Ikaan, a Benue-Congo language spoken in Southern Nigeria. Ikaan is only sparsely described but a documentation and more ... more

Documentation and description of Karo, Brazil
Dr Nilson Gabas Jr. , Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi. 2004-2006.

The aim of this project is to document and continue the description of Karo, a Tupian language spoken by approximately 130 Arara Indians in the Amazon region of Brazil. Although Karo is still ... more

Documentation and Description of Malto
Miss Chaithra Puttaswamy, School of Oriental and African Studies. 2005-2006.

The aim of this project is to document and describe Malto. Malto is spoken around the Rajmahal hills in Eastern India. The low literacy rate and absence of written documents often confines the ... more

Documentation and Description of Numčč, an endangered language of Southernmost New Caledonia
Ms Sophie Rendina, SOAS. 2007-2009.

Numčč is a poorly described language of Southernmost New Caledonia, whose speakers (1814 in 1996) are shifting to French and Tayo (Creole). Working with the community, the cultural centre and the ... more

Documentation and Description of Sia Pedee, Ecuador
Mr Jorge Gomez Rendon, University of Amsterdam. 2007-2007.

The aim of the project is to continue the documentation of the Sia Pedee language (Embera, Choco) as part of a long-term revitalization process. The main goals include: (1) time-aligned annotation of ... more

Documentation and description of Ukaan, a language of Southern Nigeria
Sophie Salffner, SOAS. 2006-2007.

The project aims to produce a collection of audio and video recordings of Ukaan, a Benue-Congo language spoken in Southern Nigeria, which is yet undocumented and only sparsely described. All ... more

Documentation and grammatical description of Chechen including the Cheberloi dialect
Zarina Molochieva, University of Leipzig. 2007-2008.

The goal of this project is twofold: (a) to complete a reference grammar of Chechen (of which 20% is already drafted), which will be submitted as a PhD dissertation at the University of Leipzig; (b) ... more

Documentation of Ayere, an endangered and undocumented minority language of the Nigerian Middle Belt
Ms Anja Moemeke-Choon, SOAS. 2007-2009.

The purpose of this project is a documentation and description of Ayere, a minority language in Nigeria, which is highly threatened by Yoruba and mainly undocumented and undescribed. Work already ... more

Documentation of 3-4 Endangered Non-Austronesian Languages of Alor and Pantar, Eastern Indonesia
Dr Louise Baird , Leiden University. 2004-2004.

All of the languages in this project are previously undescribed non-Austronesian languages spoken in the Alor archipelago in south-eastern Indonesia. Klon is spoken by approximately 5,000-6,000 ... more

Documentation of a Dialect of Mongghul and a Dialectological Survey of Mongghul
Ms Burgel Faehndrich, University of Hawaii at Manoa. 2006-2007.

The goal of this project is to produce a sketch grammar of one variety of Mongghul, including a description of phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax and a wordlist. Information on language contact ... more

Documentation of Baba'1, a Bantu language from the Grassfields of Cameroon
Dr Anne Vilain, University Stendhal/Institut de la Communication Parlee, Grenoble, France. 2006-2006.

Baba'1 is a non-written language spoken by a community of people in the village of Baba'1, in the Ndop plain, North West province of Cameroon. Work has started on the phonetics and phonology of the ... more

Documentation of Betta Kurumba
Dr Gail Coelho, School of Oriental & African Studies . 2005-2006.

Betta Kurumba is an endangered Dravidian language spoken in the Nilgiri-Wynaad region of southern India. The Betta Kurumbas (pop. 2-6,000) lived for centuries in relative isolation as a ... more

Documentation of Blablanga, Santa Isabel, Solomon Islands
Mr Radu Voica, SOAS. 2007-2009.

Blablanga is an endangered and undescribed Oceanic language with about 1800 speakers on Santa Isabel, in the Solomon Islands. This project aims to create a transcribed, translated and annotated ... more

Documentation of Central Tseltal: creation of a broad corpus for multiple uses
Dr Gilles Polian, CIESAS-SURESTE. 2006-2006.

This project proposes documentation of Central Tseltal (a Mayan language spoken in Chiapas, Mexico), a language that has been the focus of a previous linguitic research but without any available ... more

Documentation of Chatino, an Otomanguean language group of Oaxaca, Mexico
Professor Anthony Woodbury, University of Texas at Austin. 2007-2010.

Chatino is a group of closely related language varieties belonging to the Zapotecan branch of the Otomanguean language family. It is spoken by most of the 29,000 Chatinos of Oaxaca, Mexico’s, Sierra ... more

Documentation of endangered Tungusic languages of Khabarovskij Kraj
Dr Elena Kalinina, Lomonossov Moscow State University. 2004-2005.

Recording extensive text data and providing comprehensive grammar descriptions and dictionaries for unified documentation of the four ... more

Documentation of endangered Tungusic languages of Khabarovskij Kraj
Elena Kalinina, Moscow State University. 2007-2009.

The project aims at the fullest possible documentation of three Tungusic languages: Negidal, Kur-Urmi and Ulcha. The main objectives of the project are: a) recording an extensive text corpus in ... more

Documentation of Enets: digitization and analysis of legacy field materials and fieldwork with last speakers
Professor Bernard Comrie, Max Planck Institute. 2007-2010.

The project will document Enets, an almost extinct Northern Samoyedic language spoken on the Taimyr Peninsula, Siberia (about 30 speakers, all over 45). It will be devoted both to digitizing of ... more

Documentation of five Paman languages of Cape York Peninsula, Australia
Dr Jean-Christophe Verstraete, University of Leuven. 2006-2009.

The aim of the project is to document five highly endangered Paman languages of Cape York Peninsula (Australia): Kugu Muminh, Kuku Thaypan, Umbuygamu, Umpila and Wik Ngathan. The project is a team ... more

Documentation of four moribund Moluccan languages
Dr Margaret Florey, Monash University. 2003-2005.

This project will provide rich descriptions of four languages from the eastern Indonesian province of Central Maluku — a region with both high linguistic diversity and the highest level of language ... more

Documentation of Goemai
Ms Birgit Hellwig, SOAS, University of London. 2003-2005.

This project documents the Goemai language (a West Chadic language spoken in Central Nigeria) in the form of a reference grammar, a dictionary and an annotated text corpus. The grammatical analysis ... more

Documentation of Ongota
Dr Graziano Sava, Universita degli Studi di Napoli "l'Orientale". 2008-2010.

Ongota is the traditional language of a hunter-gatherer community in Ethiopia. It is being abandoned in favour of neighbouring Ts’amakko (Cushitic) and is only spoken by Ongota elders. The language ... more

Documentation of Ratahan, an endangered Austronesian language of North Sulawesi
Mr Anthony Jukes, School of Oriental & African Studies . 2005-2007.

Toratán (Ratahan) is spoken by the older generation in a handful of villages located in southern Minahasa, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. It is an isolated member of the Sangiric language family, ... more

Documentation of Reyesano, an almost extinct language of Bolivia (South America)
Dr Antoine Guillaume, Institut des Sciences de l'Homme. 2004-2006.

The project is to undertake linguistic documentation of Reyesano, the most endangered and least known language of the Takana family from the Amazonian rainforests of northern Bolivia and eastern ... more

Documentation of Seke (Ske) - an undescribed and endangered language of Pentecost Island, Vanuatu
Miss Kay Johnson, SOAS. 2007-2009.

Seke is an undescribed, Austronesian language of Pentecost Island, Vanuatu. It is spoken by approximately 600 people in an area surrounded by speakers of the dominant local language. The project ... more

Documentation of the BOGOŊ (Cala) language
Dr Ulrich Kleinewillinghöfer, Mainz University. 2005-2006.

BogoN is a Gur language spoken by the Chala people in Ghana. The language is poorly documented and severely threatened with extinction. In all but one of the five locations in the Volta Region where ... more

Documentation of the Ese Ejja language of the Amazonian region of Bolivia
Miss Marine Vuillermet, CNRS. 2007-2007.

About 1200 Ese Ejjas live in the Amazonian region of Bolivia and Peru. Though declining fast, language vitality is still high in Portachuelo, their Bolivian nucleus where the documentation will be ... more

Documentation of the Neverver language, Malakula, Vanuatu
Ms Julie Barbour, University of Waikato. 2004-2007.

This project will focus on the documentation of the Neverver language of Malakula, spoken by fewer than 1000 people in two inland villages. The intention of this project is to provide a detailed ... more

Documentation of the Ofayé Language
Mr Eduardo Ribeiro, Universidade Federal de Goiás. 2003-2006.

The main purpose of this project is to document the Ofayé language (Macro-Ję stock), spoken by approximately fifteen individuals in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Ofayé is an extremely endangered ... more

Documentation of the Qatareu language, Lakona Bay, Gaua Island, Vanuatu
Dr Hans Schmidt, University of Hamburg. 2004-2006.

Lakona Bay lies in a remote part of Gaua island in North Vanuatu. Its 300 inhabitants live along the coast and still speak the languages (or dialects) of their original hamlets in the interior. The ... more

Documentation of the Saru dialect of Ainu
Dr Anna Bugaeva, Chiba University. 2007-2009.

I propose to undertake a two-year documentation of the Saru dialect of Ainu which is nearly extinct at present, as only a couple of persons aged 80-90 on the South of Hokkaido Island in Northern ... more

Documentation of the Southern Tujia Language of China
Professor Shixuan Xu, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. 2004-2007.

This project will investigate and document one of the endangered languages of China: Southern Tujia. This language is spoken in the mountainous area of central south China, and has no literate ... more

Documentation of the Syntax and Specialized Uses of Q'anjob'al (Maya)
Mr Eladio Mateo-Toledo , The University of Texas at Austin . 2005-2007.

This project will document the syntax of complex predicates and endangered specialized uses of Q'anjob'al. The syntactic description focuses on complex predicates such as adverbial clauses, ... more

Documentation of the Vurës Language, Vanua Lava, Vanuatu
Dr Catriona Hyslop, La Trobe University. 2004-2006.

This project will focus on the documentation of Vurës, an Austronesian language spoken by approximately 1,000 people on the island of Vanua Lava in northern Vanuatu. Proposed outcomes are ... more

Documentation of three dialects of Helong: an endangered language of eastern Indonesia
Dr John Bowden, Australian National University. 2007-2010.

The primary aim of this project is to compile a comprehensive documentation of Helong, an endangered language spoken by a few thousand people in the region of Kupang, in eastern Indonesia. An ... more

Documentation of two Eastern Tukanoan languages: Wanano and Waikhana (Piratapuyo)
Dr Kristine Stenzel, Museu Nacional, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 2007-2010.

This project will document Wanano and Waikhana (Piratapuyo), two closely related Eastern Tukanoan languages spoken in north-western Amazonia. The project is designed to be both highly ... more

Documentation of Two Gelao Varieties: Zou Lei and A Hou, South West China
Prof Jinfang Li, Central University of Nationalities. 2006-2009.

The project will document Zou Lei and A Hou, two varieties of Gelao,a member of the Tai-Kadai family in South West China. One of the most endangered languages in China, Gelao is now used by only ... more

Documentation of Two Mayan Languages of Guatemala: Uspanteko, Sakapulteko
Professor Nora England, OKMA. 2003-2006.

This project seeks to document two of the most severely threatened Mayan languages for which inadequate documentation exists: Uspanteko and Sakapulteko, both of the K’ichee’ branch. A reference ... more

Documentation of Under-Represented Genres of Passamaquoddy-Maliseet Linguistic Practice
Conor Quinn, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Linguistics and Philosophy. 2006-2008.

This two-year project will document under-represented genres of speech, particularly conversation, in Passamaquoddy-Maliseet, an Eastern Algonquian language with approximately 500 speakers (all forty ... more

Documentation of Urgently Endangered Tupian Languages
Dr Dennis Moore, Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi/MCT. 2003-2006.

This project aims at the study and documentation of five of the most urgently endangered native languages of Brazil, which have no other possibility for documentation. These languages are: Mondé, ... more

Documentation of Yan-Nhangu, an undescribed language of North-Eastern Arnhem Land, Northern Australia
Dr Claire Bowern, Australian National University. 2004-2006.

Yan-nhangu is spoken by members of a few families at Milingimbi Aboriginal Community in Eastern Arnhem Land, in Australia's Northern Territory. It is the least described language of the area, with ... more

Documentation of Ös: A Turkic Language of Siberia
Professor Gregory Anderson and Professor David Harrison, Swarthmore College. 2005-2008.

The Siberian Turkic language known to its speakers as Ös (the name they also call themselves and the river which they live along) is known to science as "Middle Chulym." Both the language and its ... more

Documenting endangered Tseltal cultural activities: an Ethnographic and Discursive Audiovisual Corpus
Dr Gilles Polian, CIESAS-SURESTE. 2007-2010.

This project will gather an audiovisual corpus of 300 hours (100 hours transcribed and translated, 50 hours fully annotated) of endangered speech practices (prayers, speeches related to traditional ... more

Documenting Pilagá language (Guaycuruan): Bilingual dictionary with grammatical and ethnographic notes
Dr Alejandra Vidal, Universidad Nacional de Formosa . 2005-2006.

This project intends to complete the necessary research for a Pilagá-Spanish bilingual dictionary. Building on Vidal's PhD work, the tasks to be undertaken are recording, text-glossing and the ... more

Documenting Rongga
Dr I Wayan Arka, Australian National University . 2004-2006.

Rongga is a marginalized small language of south-central Flores, Indonesia This three-year documentation project, based at the Australian National University, aims to set up a comprehensive ... more

Documenting the Bayot language (a west-African language of the Joola group)
Mr Mbacké Diagne, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique . 2004-2006.

Bayot is a Niger-Congo, West-Atlantic, Bak language of the Joola sub-group. This language is spoken in a Senegalese South-West zone that covers the prefecture of Nyassia, and mainly comprises three ... more

Documenting the moribund language Mmani, a Southern Atlantic language of Niger-Congo
Professor Tucker Childs, Portland State University. 2004-2006.

This project will produce vital records for the dying language Mmani, once widely spoken in the coastal Samou region of Guinea (Conakry) and Sierra Leone. Many other of the less widely spoken ... more

Endangered Language Situation of the Upper-Lozva Voguls in Ivdel, North-West Siberia, Russia
Dr Gabor Szekely, University of Pécs . 2005-2006.

Vogul (Mansi) language belongs to the Uralic family of languages. The Voguls used to have a dominant role in domesticating horses in the Uralic region in the first millennium BC and in fur hunting in ... more

Iquito Language Documentation Project
Professor Nora England, University of Texas, Austin. 2003-2006.

The ILDP continues the documentation of Iquito, a Zaparoan language of the Peruvian Amazon spoken by 25 people. It is partnered with ongoing language revitalisation efforts in the Iquito community of ... more

Jawoyn Cultural Texts, Dictionary and Grammar (southern Arnhem Land)
Professor Francesca Merlan, Australian National University. 2003-2005.

The aim is to complete and make available an extensive corpus of material on Jawoyn, a language of southern Arnhem Land. Professor Merlan has prepared a large corpus of materials on Jawoyn, an ... more

Kalmyk/Oirat; Development of teaching materials for Kalmyk national schools; Comparative studies of Kalmyk and Oirat
Mrs Elena Indjieva, University of Hawaii . 2005-2006.

Over the last century the linguistic and cultural heritage of Kalmyks (a small nation in Russia) has been rapidly disappearing. The recent socio-linguistic studies indicate that the proportion of ... more

Kokama-Kokamilla: texts, grammar and lexicon
Rosa Vallejos, University of Oregon. 2006-2007.

Kokama-Kokamilla is a deeply endangered language spoken in the Peruvian Amazon. The need for documentation is urgent as nearly all of the estimated 1500 remaining speakers are elderly people, and ... more

Lakota grammar
Dr Regina Pustet, Institute of General and Typological Linguistics . 2005-2006.

The goal of this project is the completion of an almost finished grammar of Lakota (Siouan language family, North America), which will be between 700 and 1000 pages and thus, the most complex ... more

Language and Culture of the Urarina People
Dr Knut Olawsky, La Trobe Univerisity. 2003-2005.

Urarina is a language isolate spoke by less than 3000 people in the Province of Loreto, Peru. Recent contact with oil companies and traders has led to cultural loss and linguistic shift to Spanish in ... more

Langue des Signes Malienne: documentation and description
Drs Victoria Nyst, Leiden University. 2007-2010.

African sign languages are severely under researched. This project aims at documenting the Langue des Signes Malienne (LSM). In the absence of deaf education, LSM has emerged naturally. Once deaf ... more

Linguistic and Ethnographic documentation of Kayardild
Mr Erich Round, Yale University. 2006-2007.

The Kayardild language of the Queensland, Australia is the last of the Tangkic languages to be spoken. The four remaining,elderly speakers are also the last people well versed in many areas of ... more

Linguistic and ethnographic documentation of the Baram language
Professor Kansakar, Tribhuvan university. 2007-2010.

This project aims to document Baram, a seriously endangered language of Nepal, for its preservation and promotion. For this purpose, we will develop a corpus of the various texts of the Baram ... more

Linguistic Documentation of Garuwi
Dr Gerardo Barbera, SOAS. 2007-2009.

The goal of this project is to document Southern Baškardi (Hormozgan, Southeast Iran), focusing on the endangered dialect of Garu. Baškardi has received very little attention in Iranian studies so ... more

Linguistic Documentation of Pingilapese Language
Ryoko Hattori, University of Hawaii at Manoa. 2006-2007.

This project will document Pingilapese, a language spoken by approximately 2,000 speakers mainly in the Federated States of Micronesia. To date there has been very little documentation of ... more

Linguistic Fieldwork in Sanduan Province, Papua New Guinea
Professor Matthew Dryer, University at Buffalo. 2003-2006.

This project involves the continuation of field research that has already begun on two languages in Sandaun Province in Papua New Guinea. The primary goals of the project are twofold: to complete a ... more

Natural Discourse of the warm Springs Last Speaker of Kiksht
Dr Nariyo Kono , Portland State University. 2007-2007.

This project will document the natural discourse of a highly endangered language: Kiksht; overcoming the enormous challenge of producing this context with only a few speakers. Based on ‘best ... more

Northern (Massett) Haida Toponymy and Geographic Knowledge
Dr Marianne Ignace, Simon Fraser University. 2006-2006.

The Haida language, spoken by the indigenous people of Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada, has only about 30 remaining fluent speakers, almost all in their 70s and 80s. This project will document ... more

Palawan-Tagalog-English Dictionary
Dr Charles Macdonald, CNRS. 2006-2007.

The aim of this project is to prepare a 3000 entries (citation forms) lexicon (vocabulary) of the Palawan language of Palawan Island, Philippines, as a preliminary stage to completing a 5000 to 10000 ... more

Pilot Project for Koegu, a highly endangered language of the Lower Omo Valley, South Western Ethiopia
Dr Moges Yigezu, Addis Ababa University. 2007-2007.

Koegu is a highly endangered language spoken in the rift valley of south-western Ethiopia. The overall aim of this project is to do a survey on the last surviving speakers of Koegu living amongst the ... more

Preservation of Lakota Language: Translation of Songs and Speeches
Ms Jurgita Saltanaviciute, University at Oklahoma . 2005-2006.

The Lakota language is an endangered Native American language still spoken in North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Montana, and Minnesota. At the end of the twentieth century Lakota was spoken by 6,000 ... more

Seeing Voices: Documenting the Gitskan Narrative
Tyler Peterson, University of Bristish Columbia. 2006-2006.

Gitksanimx is the language spoken by the First Nations people who live in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. Gitksan is known to have different speech registers, manifested through a variety of ... more

Shangaji. A Maka or Swahili Language of Mozambique. Grammar, texts and wordlist
Ms Maud Devos , Leiden University. 2004-2006.

The project aims at an extensive documentation of Shangaji, a Bantu language spoken in the Nampula province of Mozambique. Shangaji is an endangered language and hitherto undocumented. This project ... more

Sketch grammar, texts and dictionary of Enawene-Nawe (Arawak, Brazil)
Ms Ubiray Nogueira de Rezende , Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) . 2005-2007.

This project aims at documenting, as full as possible, the Enawene-Nawe language, which belongs to the Arawak family, the largest group of indigenous language in South America. Enawene-Nawe is the ... more

Talyshi documentation and description
Mr Gerardo De Caro, SOAS. 2006-2007.

The project aims to produce a collection of audio and video recordings of Talyshi, a North-western Iranian language spoken on the Caspian coastline between Iran and Azerbaijan. The language is ... more

Temporal Reference in Lakandon Maya
Mr Henry Bergqvist, School of Oriental & African Studies . 2005-2006.

Lakandon Maya is an endangered and underdocumented language belonging to the Yukatekan branch of the Mayan language family. The Lakandones have been the subject of many publications devoted to their ... more

The documentation of Rama: a very endangered language of Nicaragua
Professor Colette Grinevald, Institut des Sciences de l'Homme (ISH). 2004-2006.

Production of a dictionary, a digitized collection of taped texts, videotaped samples of language use, and a DVD documentary for class use. The main focus will be a trilingual Rama – English – ... more

The Maku’a Pilot Project
Dr Aone van Engelenhoven, Leiden University. 2003-2003.

This project intends to: collect and edit all existing material on Maku’a in Portugal and in East Timor; assess the quantity and quality of remaining speakers in and around Tutuala (East Timor); ... more

The System of Nominal classification in Gújjólay Eegima
Mr Serge Sagna, School of Oriental and African Studies. 2005-2006.

The goal in undertaking this fieldwork is to complement the data collected in 2004 on the nominal classification system of Gújjólay Eegima, and undocumented Joola language of Senegal. The fieldwork ... more

Tundra Nenets Grammar
Dr Tapani Salminen, Finno-Ugrian Society. 2003-2006.

Tundra Nenets belongs to the Samoyed branch of the Uralic language family. It is spoken by approximately 25,000 people in Arctic Russia and north-western Siberia. The grammar of Tundra Nenets, ... more

Typological, comparative and historical study of languages of the Southern Chaco
Dr Veronica Grondona, Eastern Michigan University. 2003-2006.

The main goal of this three year project is documentation of Chorote, Nivaclé and Kadiwéu, three poorly known endangered languages of southern Chaco (South America). Three specific needs guide the ... more

Vanishing Voices of the Great Andamanese
Professor Anvita Abbi, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. 2004-2007.

Great Andamanese, a highly endangered language of the fifth language family of India, is a mixed language of ten disparate groups of a tribe that once inhabited the entire region of the Andaman ... more

Vedda Language Project
Dr Philip Baker, University of Westminster. 2003-2004.

The Veddas were established in Sri Lanka before the Sinhalese arrived (500 BC). Most have since become absorbed into the Sinhalese population but 200+ Veddas near Dambana have resisted this trend. ... more

Western Acipa documentation and description
Mr Stuart McGill, School of Oriental and African Studies. 2006-2007.

This project aims to produce a collection of audio and video recordings of Western Acipa, a West Kainji language spoken in northwest Nigeria. The language is undescribed apart from a 228-item ... more

Wichi: Documentation, Description and Training
Dr Veronica Grondona, Eastern Michigan University. 2007-2010.

This project proposes documentation of Wichi (northern Argentina,southeastern Bolivia; c.25,000 speakers), focusing on Central Pilcomayo Wichi. The project has extensive community support and a high ... more

Yakima language documentation and grammar
Ms Joana Jansen, University of Oregon . 2005-2006.

Yakima (or Yakama) Sahaptin is a Penutian language spoken in central Washington State, USA. Only a handful of fluent speakers remain, although there is growing interest in teaching and preserving ... more