‘Applied linguist needed’: cross-disciplinary networking for revitalization and education in endangered language contexts

Language documentation 20 years on

“…Documentation is also heavily biased towards the performances of older fluent speakers, resulting in language that may be too fast, heavily context dependent and include slurring or elisions, or even be affected by physiological factors (not least of which may be lack of teeth). Few, if any, documentary corpora include samples of children's ordinary language use 43 or learner-directed speech; in addition, as noted by Cope (2014), documentary linguists are not trained in pedagogical materials design, and applied linguists are rarely included in language documentation teams. The relationship between language documentation and revitalization has thus varied from avoidance or subordination to, at best, only an indirect connection (Sallabank 2012).…”

Between Knowledge and Use of Iban and Malay Multiword Expression: An Insight into L1 and L2 Acquisition and Competence

“…This can be related to the fact that the original researchers most probably wrote it in standard English based on their perceived models and language experience and presently where even local English varieties (e.g., Singlish and Malaysian English) are at risk, fewer communities may be able to interpret it alone. This would make existing resources less and less valuable to language learners or teachers at the local level (Cope & Penfield, 2011). There are gaps in what researchers can provide when it comes to addressing the educational needs of indigenous communities in Sarawak, but only the community can tell where the differences lie and what matters.…”

“…As mentioned by Cope and Penfield (2011), the educational needs of endangered language communities are great, varied and in requirement of stronger efforts than currently being practised (Sarok, 1998). Indicators from ethnolinguistic vitality theory can probably reveal the real status (Allard & Landry, 1992;Allard, Real, & Landry, 1986) of many Sarawak languages.…”

“…Also, given the logistics and linguistic diversity of Sarawak, the gap between formal linguistic documentation efforts and the critical state of many endangered languages; language documentation and educational needs could and should be filled by applied linguists and teacher trainers. Presently, Cope and Penfield (2011) have outlined two opportunities for research and communities to work together which are as follows:…”

Endangered Languages and Languages in Danger

“…Documentation is also heavily biased towards the performances of older fluent speakers, resulting in language that may be too fast, heavily context dependent and include slurring or elisions, or even be affected by physiological factors (not least of which may be lack of teeth). Few, if any, documentary corpora include samples of children's ordinary language use 43 or learner-directed speech; in addition, as noted by Cope (2014), documentary linguists are not trained in pedagogical materials design, and applied linguists are rarely included in language documentation teams. The relationship between language documentation and revitalization has thus varied from avoidance or subordination to, at best, only an indirect connection (Sallabank 2012).…”