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Launch of fieldmanuals.mpi.nl
A newly launched website provides access to many of the field manuals produced over the years by the Language and Cognition Group at the MPI for Psycholinguistics. The site contains a bonanza of material for the field elicitation of semantics and the field collection of verbal behaviour. 'These are unique resources that have been compiled over nearly twenty years of investigation of under-studied languages', says MPI director Stephen C. Levinson. 'During this period, we collectively pioneered the field of semantic typology.'
June 28, 2010
In many cases, the design of the tasks has been refined over recurrent field seasons, yielding well-adapted sensitive instruments for investigating e.g. semantic distinctions in a language without a writing system or a culture with only minimal schooling. In this way, the tasks are the joint product of many scholars working in over 50 languages and cultures.
Easy to use
'Entries from these manuals have been circulated informally for years and they have been used by field workers all over the globe', says MPI researcher Asifa Majid. 'With this online repository we offer a centralised, easy to use resource.' Users are asked to register to download resources. More interactive functions are planned that will allow users to contribute to the joint enterprise, for instance by sharing data or relevant publications.
More information
The new website can be found at fieldmanuals.mpi.nl.

