Beyond Dictionaries

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to describe the best practices for archiving endangered languages.  I want to look at both the linguistic and archival aspects of this task, as to both are important for proper language preservation (and later revitalization).  This will be a case study on how the Mercator Centre worked with the collections in the St. Petersburg Endangered Languages Archives.  I will look at how they organized and digitized language material already in the archives from the early twentieth century, as well as what linguistic knowledge was gained about these languages through comparison of recordings with modern-day speakers.  I also wish to describe what particular archival practices were used in the project.  By looking at what was done to make the language collections accessible to researchers and the language communities, I will create an outline of how archival processes can be best applied to processing endangered language collections.