
Home \| News \| Sitemap \| Search

Endangered Languages Projects

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 Pan-dialectal documentation of Wik-Ngatharr, Cape York Peninsula: Louise Ashmore, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. 2007-2008.
The aim of the project is to document Wik-Ngatharr (also called Wik-Ngatharra, Wik-Alkanha or Wik-Elken), an endangered Paman language variety spoken in Cape York Peninsula, Australia. ... more
A reference grammar of Choguita Raramuri (Tarahumara): Gabriela Caballero , The Research Foundation, Stony Brook University. 2008-2010.
The project seeks to describe and document Choguita Raramuri (Tarahumara), an endangered, underdescribed Uto-Aztecan language of the Taracahitan branch spoken in the northwest of Mexico. The ... 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 and Lexicon development: Endangered genres of discourse in Tu'un isavi (Mixtec) of Yoloxochitl, Guerrero: Dr Jonathan D Amith, Gettysburg College. 2008-2009.
This project focuses on endangered discourse genres and threatened domains of cultural knowledge in Yoloxochitl Mixtec to create the first extensive, archival quality corpus of recorded and expertly ... 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 Apurinã (Arawak): Dr Sidney Facundes, Universidade Federale do Pará. 2003-2005.
The purpose of the project is to accomplish detailed description and documentation of the Apurinã 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 Analysis of Kabardian as Spoken in Turkey: Ayla Applebaum, University of California, Santa Barbara. 2008-2011.
Kabardian is a typologically rare and threatened Northwest Caucasian language. Preliminary research by the author established phonetic differences between Kabardian spoken in Russia and Turkey, and ... 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 Numèè, an endangered language of Southernmost New Caledonia: Ms Sophie Rendina, SOAS. 2007-2009.
Numèè 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 the Nahavaq Language: Laura Dimock, Victoria University of Wellington. 2007-2008.
The aim of this project is to document and describe the Nahavaq language of Malakula, Vanuatu (approximately 600 speakers, no first-language literacy). The goals are to collect 20 hours of recorded ... more
Documentation and Description of the South Eastern Huastec, a Mayan Language from Veracruz, Mexico: Ana Kondic, University of Sydney. 2007-2008.
This project aims to provide a comprehensive documentation of the Southeastern Huastec (HSF) Language by creating a detailed grammatical description, a trilingual Huastec-Spanish-English word list ... 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 A'inage (Cofan): Rafael Fischer, University of Amsterdam. 2008-2009.
The main aim of this project is to compile a dictionary of A’ingae and to produce language materials pertaining to various types of media. These include audio and video recordings, a collection of ... 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 Bedik: Adjaratou Sall, Institut Dondamental d'Afrique Noire (IFAN) Dakar University. 2008-2010.
The Bedik are an ethnic minority comprising about 3500 inhabitants living in villages on the mountains of eastern Senegal. Bedik is classified as a member of the Mande branch within the Niger-Congo ... 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 Chuxnaban Mixe: Texts, Dictionary and Grammar: Carmen Jany, California State University, San Bernardino. 2008-2009.
The project aims at documenting and describing Chuxnaban Mixe, a previously undocumented Mixe language spoken by 900 people in one village in Oaxaca. Bilingualism with Spanish is on the rise, as ... 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 Gaviao and Surui Languages in whistled and instrumental speech: Julien Meyer, Fundacao Instituto para o Desenvolvimento da Amazonia. 2008-2010.
The project is to undertake the linguistic documentation and analysis of highly endangered traditional speech practices in two endangered Tupian languages of Brazilian Amazon: Gaviao and Surui. ... 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 language and lifestyle of the Galesh, province of Golestan, Iran: Helen Jahani, Uppsala University. 2008-2009.
The Galesh are herdsmen in the Alborz mountains. Their total number is unknown, but diminishing rapidly due to the modernisation of the Iranian society. This project attempts to find out if the ... 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-Jê 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 Traditional Warlpiri Ceremony: Carmel O'Shannessey, Regents of the University of Michigan. 2008-2009.
In response to expressed wishes of community elders, the project will record on video a traditional annual Warlpiri ceremony in Lajamanu community. During the ceremoney the men sing and the women ... 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 and Analysing Ghulfan - An Endangered Sudanese Language: Robert Williams, American University in Cairo. 2008-2011.
This project will document, preserve and provide linguistic analyses for Ghulfan, an endangered and under described dialect of the Kordofan Nubian dialect cluster, primarily spoken in and around the ... more
Documenting Bih, an Austronesian language of Vietnam: Tam Nguyen, University of Oregon. 2008-2009.
Bih is a Chamic language spoken in the Southern highlands of Vietnam, closely related to Ede (also called Rade, Rhade). Bih is spoken by only around 1000 speakers and is nearly undocumented. The ... more
Documenting conversation and the pragmatics of the Kiksht: Nariyo Kono, Portland State University. 2008-2010.
This project will document conversation among several speakers of the highly endangered language: Kiksht. The project team will overcome the enormous challenge of producing a natural-discourse ... 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 Mandaean's Rituals: Sabah Aldihisi, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. 2008-2009.
To record transcribe and translate speech and rituals of the Mandaeans with the aim of preserving these for future generations and to enable young members of the Mandaean community to learn the ... 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
Initial Documentation of Na'ahai, a language of Malekula, Vanutu: Anastasia Riehl, University of South Pacific. 2008-2009.
Na’ahai is an undescribed language of the southwest coast of Malekula Island in Vanuatu, spoken by less than 1000 people. There are two central aims to this project. One is to undertake initial ... more
Investigation of an endangered village sign language in India: a pilot study: Sibaji Panda, University of Central Lancashire. 2001-2030.
The pilot study investigates an endangered sign language in a southern Indian village in Karnataka. 250 people in the village are deaf out of a population of 14,000. The sign language used in the ... 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
Kari'nja Dictionary and Video Documentation: Raquel Yamada, University of Oregon. 2007-2008.
This project will produce 3 short films documenting the Aretyry dialect of Kari’nja as well as cultural practices. Films will be recorded, edited, transcribed, translated, and subtitled. In ... more
Knowledge of endangered languages in the Sudanese Community, Melbourne Australia: Simon Musgrave, Monash University. 2008-2008.
Large parts of Sudan are currently inaccessible to researchers, in particular the southern region of the country and the Darfur region. In both of these areas, but especially in the south, there are ... 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 cultural documentation of the Miahuatec Zapotec of San Bartolome Loxicha: Rosemary Beam de Azcona, University of California. 2008-2010.
This project will document the San Bartolomé Loxicha variety of Miahuatec Zapotec. Digital video recordings will be made with multiple speakers on a variety of subjects and in different contexts (at ... 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 Northern-Ural: A Comprehensive Documentation and Description of Upper-Lozva Mansi Language: Gabor Szekely, University of Pecs. 2007-2008.
The project aims to produce a collection of digital sound and video recordings of Vogul language (they call themselves Mansi) as the result of three field trips to the eastern part of the ... 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
Multimedia documentation of the endangered Vasyugan and Alexandrovo Khanty dialects of Tomsk region in Siberia: Andrey Filchenko, Tomsk State Pedagogical University. 2007-2008.
Field documentation of language data and meta information of two adjacent and related endangered dialects of Khanty in the Tomsk region of Russia: Vasyugan and Alexandrovo (under 100 speakers). ... 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
Palawan-Tagalog-English Dictionary: Charles Macdonald, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. 2008-2008.
This is an application for phase two of the Palawan-Tagalog-English Dictionary project-phase one of the same project has already been supported by the ELDP for the year 2006-2007 and has been ... 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
Preservation of the spoken language of Iraqi Jews: Eli Timan, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. 2008-2009.
To record, transcribe and translate speech and customs of the Iraqi Jewish community. After 2,500 years of continued existence in Mesopotamia (Iraq), no Jewish human or culture trace is left there. ... 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
Summer School on Documentary Linguistics in West Africa: Felix Ameka, Leiden University. 2008-2008.
Documentation Training Event July 16-27 2008 held at University of Education, Winneba, Ghana. Participants are from Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Togo, Benin, Sierra Leone, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana ... 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 Gujjolaay Eegimaa an Atlantic-BAK Joola Language: Serge Sagna, University of Manchester, UK. 2008-2010.
This documentation of Gújjolaay Eegimaa (an Atlantic language of Southern Senegal) aims at providing a representative digital corpus of audio and video data of 30 hours transcribed, annotated ... more
The documentation of Gurindji Kriol, an Australian mixed language: Felicity Meakins, University of Manchester. 2008-2010.
Gurindji Kriol (GK) is an endangered mixed language (ML) spoken in Australia. It fuses Gurindji (Pama-Nyungan), with Kriol (English-lexifier) to create a unique system. GK is an important language to ... 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 painter's eye, the painter's voice: Language, art and landscape in the Gija world: Eva Schultz-Berndt, University of Manchester, School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures. 2008-2011.
The goal of the project is to document significant aspects of the encyclopaedic knowledge of the natural and cultural world of the Gija, with a focus on the mythological, historical and ecological ... 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
Transmission and Continuity of Mexican Sign Language: Claire Ramsey, The Regents of the University of California (San Diego). 2007-2008.
In Mexican Sign Language, transmission among deaf people, especially across generations, is undependable, posing a threat to continuity. Most of the world’s sign languages potentially face this ... 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
Ume and Pite Saami Documentation Project: Joshua Wilbur, Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin. 2008-2010.
Pite and Ume are two neighboring Saami languages (Finno-Ugric) spoken in northern Sweden. Both have suffered severely under the dominance of Swedish language and culture, resulting in their acute ... 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

Endangered Languages Projects

Projects funded by ELDP grants