[An-lang] Moving Blust’s Legacy Forward: Archiving for the Next Era

[Gary Holton]

Yuko,

Maybe this is just a feature of American English, but I have a very
different sense of the use of the definite article in titles such as “The
Austronesian Languages.” The definiteness here signals that there is only
one group of languages which we label “Austronesian” (though one could
presumably argue as to which languages should be included with that label).
But it in no way limits the number of analyses of “the” Austronesian
languages. Far from being canon, the existence of Bob’s book should in no
way discourage others from publishing comprehensive works on
Austronesian—or simply disputing parts of Bob’s work. That is scholarship.
And though Bob would of course argue any challenges vehemently, that is no
reason to forgo the challenge. Respecting a scholar’s work does not also
require that work to go unchallenged. As an extremely prolific scholar, Bob
provide much material to be debated. And so the work of Austronesian
historical linguistics goes on.

As for the new ACD, there are many others better able to comment on this,
but I believe the CLDF dataset is housed in a GitHub repository with
version control. All changes can be viewed. Users can raise issues and then
follow to see how they are resolved. This seems to me to be a great
improvement on the old html-based site, which had (has?) no way of tracking
edits. Changes to the data on that site could happen without users ever
being aware. I think the new ACD format has the potential to facilitate the
collaborative environment that you envision.

Anyway, I hope I’m not too far off base here — just thought it would be
good for someone from UH respond. Thanks for raising these issues.

Gary



On Sun, Sep 21, 2025 at 13:56 Yuko Kitada <yukokitada at outlook.com> wrote:

> Dear Dr. Hugh Paterson III, dear AN-LANG colleagues,
>
> Thank you, Dr. Hugh Paterson III, for your insightful perspective as an
> archivist on preserving the Wix site *(https://blusthawaii.wixsite.com/blust)
> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://blusthawaii.wixsite.com/blust__;!!PvDODwlR4mBZyAb0!RPrE61WgqqI6qQxf2EVdz4q7cJc-87o8tRNzR8S2ENSp_vgoGfHrZfN8_-5VlXd65Vrg9OaoQljHJXOIRa6n$>* and
> the Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (ACD). I appreciate the suggestion
> to archive the site using WARC format for permanent storage and the
> emphasis on maintaining the integrity of Blust and Trussel’s original ACD *(https://www.trussel2.com/ACD/)
> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.trussel2.com/ACD/__;!!PvDODwlR4mBZyAb0!RPrE61WgqqI6qQxf2EVdz4q7cJc-87o8tRNzR8S2ENSp_vgoGfHrZfN8_-5VlXd65Vrg9OaoQljHJbhaeD0L$>* by
> distinguishing it from the edited version *(https://acd.clld.org/)
> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://acd.clld.org/__;!!PvDODwlR4mBZyAb0!RPrE61WgqqI6qQxf2EVdz4q7cJc-87o8tRNzR8S2ENSp_vgoGfHrZfN8_-5VlXd65Vrg9OaoQljHJdMNjoAG$>*.
> The call for transparency in documenting changes aligns with concerns I and
> others, like Prof. Laurent Sagart, have raised about the need for clarity
> in ACD updates.
>
> However, I respectfully question the need to preserve the Wix site, as I
> see no clear scholarly purpose for its continued existence. The site,
> created posthumously by individuals after Bob’s 2022 passing, consists
> primarily of a static list of publications without links or substantial
> resources. This information is already accessible through Kaipuleohone or
> academic networks, rendering the Wix site redundant.
>
> A scholarly field should not be dominated or give the impression of being
> monopolized by any single individual, but rather nurtured through
> collaboration within a community. The Wix site’s limited scope does not
> facilitate such collaboration and may contribute to canonizing Bob’s work,
> which those of us who knew him—his passion for debate—would recognize as
> contrary to his scholarly spirit. I propose retiring the Wix site entirely
> and integrating its bibliographic content into Kaipuleohone, ensuring a
> transparent and accessible archive that supports ongoing research by other
> scholars.
>
> Moreover, I believe we need to critically reflect on how Bob’s legacy is
> presented, including the framing of his research approach. Bob’s body of
> work, such as *The Austronesian Languages* (2009), is quantitatively
> immense, but he was, like us, just one scholar among many. The article
> *the* and the absence of phrases like “issues on” or “a guide to studying
> Austronesian languages” in the title *The Austronesian Languages* suggest
> a definitive claim over the entire discipline, which risks overshadowing
> the field’s diversity. (While the title is a product of its time and cannot
> be changed now, one might argue that had Bob or his community placed
> greater emphasis on collective scholarship, a less exclusive title could
> have been chosen, reflecting an oversight not solely of the individual but
> of the community.) For example, Adelaar and Himmelmann’s *The
> Austronesian Languages of Asia and Madagascar* (2005) and Adelaar and
> Schapper’s *The Oxford Guide to the Malayo-Polynesian Languages of
> Southeast Asia* (2024) carefully specify their regional or subgroup focus
> and leverage collaborative authorship to reflect the field’s breadth,
> whereas Blust’s title implies a singular authority. This exclusivity,
> echoed in the Wix site and gestures like the 2024 ICAL moment of
> silence—held two years after Bob’s passing, despite an earlier farewell
> event—can signal to emerging scholars that Bob’s work is an unchallengeable
> standard. Such a perception may cause other researchers to hesitate in
> pursuing or presenting novel findings, stifling bold new hypotheses. Those
> of us who knew Bob personally—his passion for debate, his openness to
> challenge—can guard against absolutizing his views or deifying him. But
> what about new researchers entering Austronesian linguistics? Encountering
> the Wix site or a title like *The Austronesian Languages* as their
> introduction, they might perceive Bob’s work as an untouchable canon,
> limiting the field’s growth and diversity. The discovery of the Wix site
> has highlighted a tendency toward exclusivity and a lack of humility within
> the Blust legacy community, which I hope we can address to foster a
> healthier, more collaborative academic environment, ensuring such issues do
> not arise again.
>
> Regarding the ACD, I value a non-editable archival capture of Blust and
> Trussel’s original work at the University of Hawaiʻi *(https://www.trussel2.com/ACD/)
> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.trussel2.com/ACD/__;!!PvDODwlR4mBZyAb0!RPrE61WgqqI6qQxf2EVdz4q7cJc-87o8tRNzR8S2ENSp_vgoGfHrZfN8_-5VlXd65Vrg9OaoQljHJbhaeD0L$>* and
> appreciate the existence of additional archival copies elsewhere for
> preservation. However, I cannot support open, editable platforms where
> scholars freely add “layers” to the data, as these risk reducing scholarly
> work to an unverified “playground” and undermine credibility. Honestly, I
> also cannot endorse the additions made by the current maintainers of the
> MPI site *(https://acd.clld.org/)
> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://acd.clld.org/__;!!PvDODwlR4mBZyAb0!RPrE61WgqqI6qQxf2EVdz4q7cJc-87o8tRNzR8S2ENSp_vgoGfHrZfN8_-5VlXd65Vrg9OaoQljHJdMNjoAG$>*,
> even if drawn from unpublished Blust materials, as their authenticity
> cannot be verified without clear evidence, such as photographic
> documentation. The current editable ACD lacks clear documentation of
> changes and merges new contributions with Blust’s original work without
> distinction, which, as Dr. Paterson notes, deviates from scholarly
> transparency. Scholars seeking to reconstruct proto-forms or expand on
> Blust’s work should do so through peer-reviewed publications, which can
> then be compiled into individual web-based lists if desired. This approach
> ensures rigor and maintains the integrity of the original ACD as a distinct
> scholarly artifact.
>
> By retiring the Wix site and prioritizing peer-reviewed contributions, we
> can honor Bob’s legacy—his passion for rigorous debate—while fostering a
> collaborative and inclusive Austronesian linguistics community. I welcome
> further thoughts on retiring the Wix site and building a healthier academic
> environment.
>
> Best regards,
> Yuko Kitada
>
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>
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