CDs and electronic storage of data

[Peter Austin]

An alternative to CDs is use of the World Wide Web. David Nathan of
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
(AIATSIS) is currently preparing a bilingual dictionary
(Gamilaraay-English) that I have been working on to make it available as a
hypertext document on the World Wide Web. The dictionary entries contain
highlighted cross-references and when the reader clicks on these s/he is
taken to the relevant headword of the cross-reference. A first version will
be available on the Web soon. We are hoping to add sound (and maybe
pictures) to later versions. The dictionary will be available to school
children throughout the world, and more especially to the descendants of
the Gamilaraay in northern New South Wales who have lost their language
over recent times.

Through the work of Nick Thieberger, David Nash, Jane Simpson, and (now)
David Nathan the AIATSIS has established an Aboriginal Studies Electronic
Data Archive (ASEDA) of Aboriginal and Islander language data. Linguists
working on these languages regularly deposit materials for safekeeping or
distribution with ASEDA (the depositor can set access requirements). Access
to ASEDA is also available on WWW (at
http://coombs.anu.edu.au/SpecialProj/ASEDA/ASEDA.html).

Contrary to what Johanna Rubba says, it is my experience that SIL produces
excellent software for Mac (including IT, Conc, Free Text Browser, MacLex,
as well as Rook) that I have found extremely useful. The SIL projects
CELLAR and Project '95 also promise important new developments in
linguistic analysis software.

Peter Austin
Visiting Professor
ILCAA, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
4-51-21 Nishigahara, Kita-ku
Tokyo 114 JAPAN

ph:  +81-3-5974-3880 (w)
     +81-3-3800-9514 (h)
fax: +81-3-5974-3838