CAREER: Documenting the Languages of Manang, Nepal for Local and International Impact

Southern Illinois University At Edwardsville, Edwardsville IL

Investigators

Abstract

In an increasingly globalized world, indigenous minority languages, such as the tribal languages of Nepal's Manang District, are threatened by migration, the loss of younger speaker populations, and the influence of dominant majority cultures. This CAREER project undertakes a unique response to language endangerment by exploring innovative methods of language documentation that also involve and benefit diverse populations. The project encompasses collaborative, multi-institutional field investigations of the four tribal languages Nyeshangte, Gyalsumdo, Manang-Gurung and Nar-Phu in order to merge traditional documentation methods with cutting-edge visualization tools. Investigators will adapt approaches from other studies of language and dialect variation by building a web-accessible, multi-media atlas to chart the rich language histories, variation, and attitudes found in Manang. This output will represent a new approach to documentation, one with a geographic perspective to chart structural details, threats, survival scenarios and future prospects within and across these languages. The project will also provide essential learning tools about, and for, language endangerment and survival scenarios in Nepal. One focus group will be undergraduate university students, who represent influential global citizens who would otherwise encounter issues of endangerment and preservation only in a detached context of textbooks and lecture. Project methods will embrace a collaborative spirit, including work with Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu, and with trained assistants in the Manang District. The project will also involve work with colleagues and students in the Geographic Information Systems program at the home institution. University students are involved in all phases of data collection and analysis, and in the design of pedagogical materials. Additionally, the project will collaborate with archivists at the University of Virginia on long-term data preservation and visualization protocols. The goals, methods, and resources garnered from this project will provide an exciting and groundbreaking standard for future documentation, archival, educational, and language awareness endeavors. This international project is funded by Cultural Anthropology, Documenting Endangered Languages, and the Office of International Science and Engineering.