UNESCO to Publish Handbook on Language Preservation and Documentation (fwd)

[phil cash cash]

UNESCO
http://www.unesco.org/
Francia
Educación > Organizaciones @@
Noticia nº: 30621
Agencia emisora: 
mié 11 Ago 2004

UNESCO to Publish Handbook on Language Preservation and Documentation

Aimée Lahaussois, a Linguistic Expert in Nepalese languages, along with
several leading international experts in linguistic and language
revitalization, have been developing a Language Preservation Handbook.
This project is one of the activities carried out by UNESCO’s
Initiative B at bel which seeks to promote multilingualism in cyberspace
and preserve endangered languages.

Recently, Aimée was in Nepal carrying out independent research on
endangered languages. She seized the opportunity to use the handbook
and field test its effectiveness.

The handbook, entitled “Language Preservation and Documentation
Handbook: South Asia version”, provides a methodology for native
speakers of endangered languages to record their languages for
posterity. The project was inspired by requests from several members of
ethnic minorities in Nepal who were interested in self documenting
their languages. For many ethnic groups, assimilation and other
processes have lead to the decline of indigenous culture as well as
their languages and knowledge systems. UNESCO would like to see this
rich human heritage preserved.

The handbook guides the reader through the process of collecting
linguistic data on one’s endangered language in the absence of a
linguist, as well as stories which are an important part of the
heritage of the community. The document begins with a questionnaire
covering background information on the language community, followed by
advice on creating a writing system, and lists of key words. It then
guidelines them in recording and transcribing stories, and concludes
with material on various aspects of the grammar of the language,
through questionnaires and translation exercises. Oral recordings of
the languages are also an important part of this exercise.

Here are some of the impressions of Aimée Lahaussois’ first experience
with the handbook:

“Working with a young speaker of an endangered language reinforced for
me what documentation is all about, and why it is important to provide
tools so native speakers can carry out their own documentation: after
three weeks of excellent work with a very talented and enthusiastic
speaker, I tried to pay him as compensation for the time and energy he
put into our sessions, thinking this would be welcome, as life is
particularly difficult for students in a developing country. I was
moved when he refused the money, citing that it was I who deserved
compensation as I was doing his community the enormous favour of making
sure their language was recorded and preserved. Clearly there is a
great need for efforts such as this.”

It is hoped that the results will not only provide a record of the
language, as spoken by native speakers, but will also stimulate renewed
community-wide interest in the language, which may in turn reduce the
rate at which languages are being lost.

Indeed, a great many minority languages are disappearing around the
world and those which disappear without a trace represent a great loss
of cultural heritage. One critical reason is that they are not being
passed on to the younger generations. Some of the causes include
pressure on children to use national languages, unavailability of
education in the language spoken at home, migration away from the
homeland amongst others. Often, only older speakers are left and when
they disappear, so do these languages. In the case of languages with no
written form which have not been documented, no trace remains of what
was once a vibrant and unique language and culture.

A CD-ROM and print version of this handbook will be published by the end
of September.

11/08/2004