Projects on language documentation and data mining - Home

This is not an official institute’s project with a single major theme, but rather a selection of  smaller projects, mostly financed by 3rd-party funds, which are (i) focussed on the documentation of endangered or under-described languages on the one hand, or (ii) the exploitation of this kind of data for linguistic theory and analysis on the other hand. These projects thus contribute to the infrastructure for the language sciences, and illustrate some of the uses to which it can be put.
Coordinators
Stephen Levinson
Peter Wittenburg

Documentation teams

1. Yuraké (Bolivian isolate). Rik van Gijn, Sonja Gipper (PhD student); Vincent Hirtzel (College de France). Funded by Volkswagen
2.  ≠Akhoe Hai//om (Khoisan, Namibia). Thomas Widlok (U. Durham & MPI), Gertie Hoymann (PhD student), Christian Rapold (Zürich). Funded by Volkswagen.
3. Semang (Six Asian languages: Kensiw, Kintaq, Jahai, Menriq, Batek, Lanoh) Niclas Burenhult, Claudia Wegener and Neele Becker. Funded by Volkswagen.
4. Five Paman languages of Cape York, Australia (Kugu Muminh, Kuku Thaypan, Umbuygamu, Umpila, and Wik Ngathan.) Clair Hill (PhD student), Jean-Christophe Verstraete (U. Leuven), Peter Sutton (Adelaide), Alice Gaby (Berkeley).
Funded by Hans Rausing Endangered Languages Project.

Other MPI Nijmegen documentation projects:

5.   Yélî Dnye (Papuan, Papua New Guinea): Steve Levinson
6.   Karii (Vietic sub-branch of Austroasiatic, Laos) & Lao: Nick Enfield
7.   Savosavo (Papuan, Solomons): Claudia Wegener (PhD student)
8.   Rotokas (Papuan, Bougainville, PNG): Stuart Robinson (PhD student)
9.   Tzeltal (Mayan, Mexico): Penelope Brown
10. Siwu (Ghana-Togo Mountain, Ghana): Mark Dingemanse (PhD student)
11. Kata Kolok (Balinese sign language): Connie de Vos (PhD student)
12. Kilivila (Austronesian, PNG): Gunter Senft
13. Zapotec (Otomanguean, Mexico): Mark Sicoli
14. Semai (Aslian, Malaysia): Sylvia Tufvesson (PhD student)
15. Warlpiri (Pama-Nyungan, Australia): Carmel O'Shannessey (PhD student)
16. Lowland Chontal (isolate, Mexico): Loretta O’Connor
17. Arrernte (Pama-Nyungan, Australia): Jenny Green (PhD student Melbourne & MPI)

Data-mining teams

18. Sahul Project (typology and cladistics of New Guinea and Australia): Michael Dunn, Ger Reesink, Ruth Singer, Miriam van Staden, Pieter Muysken & Steve Levinson. Funded by NWO.
19. Marquesan Lexicon project: Gaby Cablitz, Jacquelijn Ringersma. Funded by Volkswagen.
20. DOBES exploitation tools: Peter Wittenburg, Claus Zinn, Paul Trilsbeek, et al. Funded by EC and Volkswagen.

Publications