(Fwd LINGUIST) 13.1862: Language Query Room Advisory Board

Sun Jul 7 19:28:43 UTC 2002

Dear Uralists,

my most sincere apologies for cross-postings! Please forward this message to all native speakers of endangered languages you know who could be interested in the project described below!

Best,

Johanna
johanna.laakso at univie.ac.at

-- FORWARDED MESSAGE --

LINGUIST List <linguist at linguistlist.org> wrote:

> LINGUIST List:  Vol-13-1862. Sun Jul 7 2002. ISSN: 1068-4875.
>
---
>
> 1)
> Date:  Wed, 3 Jul 2002 15:58:35 -0400
> From:  Doug Whalen <whalen at alvin.haskins.yale.edu>
> Subject:  Language Query Room Advisory Board

>
>       The Endangered Language Fund, along with the Linguist List, is
> creating a new function for language communities and linguists called
> the Language Query Room (LQR).  This effort is being funded by a
> grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF).  This note is
> to give you a preview of the LQR and to ask for volunteers for an
> advisory board of native speakers.
>       The LQR will be a space where questions about how to say things
> in different endangered languages can be posted.  Someone who needs
> to have a form translated, typically a language learner or a
> linguist, will post a query via a form at the LQR site.  An automatic
> email will be sent to everyone who has registered an interest in that
> language.  If a native speaker feels like responding, they will use a
> similar form on the site, and everyone on that language's list will
> be informed that new material is present.  We hope to have both text
> (in the native orthography) and audio supported.  All of the material
> will be archived for future searching.
>       Our current plan is to recognize the contribution of the native
> speaker volunteers as official "Language Consultants." They will have
> their status listed as such on LQR, and a brief biography will be
> posted (if desired).  The primary motivation is the interest in the
> language and the desire to see it more widely recognized by allowing
> progress to be made on it outside of the field.  We are also hoping
> to have an endangered language chat room, which would allow speakers
> of the designated languages to converse with each other, with the
> only "cost" being to have the discussions archived.  We will have a
> pop-up keyboard that will make input of unusual orthographies much
> simpler (we hope), for those languages that have such an orthography.
>       As we work on the design of the LQR, we want to make it as
> useful to the native communities as possible.  To help with that
> effort, we are assembling an advisory board, composed of speakers of
> endangered languages.  We would like to invite any who qualify to
> contact us about joining the board.  The criteria are:
>       *  Is a native speaker of and endangered language (since we
> already have the viewpoint of the professional linguist well
> represented).
>       *  Has email and internet access (since the LQR will only exist
> on the web, and the advisory board will only have virtual meetings by
> email).
>       *  Is fluent in English (since the membership is intended to be
> world-wide and those of us on the grant have only English as an
> interlanguage).
>       *  Is able to spend a few hours over the next year reading email
> and contributing an opinion about the best way to make the LQR
> function (the time demands are small and on an email schedule rather
> than a phone or meeting schedule).
>       We are putting out this initial request over relevant lists
> (Linguist and Endangered Languages), but if you know of someone who
> meets the criteria and is not on these lists, please forward it to
> them so that we can find the largest pool of candidates possible.
>       Those who do not meet these criteria but who have comments about
> the LQR are welcome to contact us as well, at the email addresses
> below.
>       We hope to have a functioning site up this year.  The LQR will,
> with luck, expand the range of language material that is used in
> linguistic theorizing and enhance the stature of the endangered
> languages in the process.
>       We look forward to hearing from all interested parties, and we
> will announce the LQR itself as soon as it is available.
>       Durbin Feeling (Cherokee), Chair, LQR Advisory Board  <dfeeling at ou.edu>
>       Douglas H. Whalen, President, Endangered Language Fund
> <elf at haskins.yale.edu>
>
> -
> Doug Whalen (whalen at haskins.yale.edu)
> Haskins Laboratories
> 270 Crown St.
> New Haven, CT 06511
> 203-865-6163, ext. 234
> FAX:  203-865-8963
> http://www.haskins.yale.edu/
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> LINGUIST List: Vol-13-1862
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