1,721,363 research outputs found
Progressive archiving: theoretical and practical implications for documentary linguistics
Full text linkArchiving is regarded as an indispensable aspect of language documentation, because records of endangered languages should not be at risk (Bird & Simons 2003), and to enable access to those records by a variety of users and disciplines (Himmelmann 1998). While language documentation has been theorised (e.g. Himmelmann 1998, Woodbury 2011) and there is vigorous discussion about its goals and practices, there has been little theorisation about the interrelationship between archiving and documentation.
Currently, the Endangered Languages Archive (ELAR) at SOAS is developing policies and systems for “progressive depositing”, where documenters (and others) can submit materials to the archive in various stages of completeness as projects and activities progress. Although early depositing is already encouraged as good practice (Johnson 2004: 145), once systematised it would have deep-running implications for documentation theory and practice. Documenters depositing early outputs of projects will need to design and maintain metadata earlier in their workflow than is typically done at present, including collecting access restrictions which may themselves change over time. The value of “metadocumentation” - contextualising information and explicit descriptions accounting for the nature of materials as they appear in the archive over time (Austin 2010:28, Author 2010:196) - will be highlighted. Metadocumentation describing relationships between various versions and tranches of resources would become paramount. To retain the integrity and readability of a documentary collection expanding over time, the identity, naming, structures and relationships between materials will need to be carefully managed. This would emphasise the role of data management in documentary work, place documenters and archives into a closer partnership, and expose documenters to principles and techniques of corpus linguistics (Cox 2011). Metadocumentation would also describe, for example, how the documenter’s understanding and representations of the language change during the project.
Other benefits include documenters receiving earlier and ongoing feedback from both the archive and from others who would have earlier access to materials. By changing perspectives of archiving from “finality” and “comprehensiveness” to open and evolutionary, a major disincentive to broader types of depositing (including from community members) is attenuated, and there is more scope for a variety of disciplines and people, including community members, to view progress and to engage with projects. A fully progressive depositing model would also have far-reaching implications for, and demands on, archives, but the potential benefits for documentation, for broader research and for language communities all seem to be positive
Archives as publishers of language documentation: experiences from ELAR
No full textThe Endangered Languages Archive (ELAR) at SOAS preserves and publishes digital documentations of endangered languages. This paper describes ELAR’s recently-implemented information systems using a Web 2.0 framework. The key features are flexible and depositor-managed access control, and use of depositors’ metadata to create navigable interfaces
The soundness of documentation: an epistemology for audio in documentary linguistics
No full textDocumentary linguistics for endangered languages emphasizes primary data - recordings and representation of linguistic events - and audio and video recordings are a priority for both fieldwork and for archiving because those events are unlikely to occur into the future. Audio is the focal component of our primary data. While video offers much promise, it is by definition less close to the principal concerns of documenting (spoken) languages, and introduces many costs. Recent debates about the motivations for and value of video have raised valuable questions such as: What/who is it for? What makes a good recording? How can we figure the documentation value? What aspects of events are captured/not captured? But these questions, in turn (and some of the arguments for video), when applied to audio, reveal that we have tended to take audio for granted; at worst (and frequently enough), audio is simply an inconvenience on the way to creating symbolic representations such as transcriptions and analyses. Up till now, there have been some developments, such as increasing the accountability of analyses by providing direct links to "primary audio data", and tools built to support this such as Thieberger's Audiamus. But these on their own are not enough; they do not challenge audio's emasculated status as evidence rather than performance. Finnegan (2008), for example, has recently pointed out the almost unbounded richness of audio phenomena in linguistic performance, for which we don't have a vocabulary nor even recognition that without such a framework we are effectively hiding these phenomena from research. And we have been reminded (by Dietrich Schueller) that linguistics is one of the least scientific of disciplines when it comes to audio data collection. This paper considers audio from several perspectives, including documentary linguistics, experiences in training young documenters, information theory, and acoustics, to propose an epistemology for audio within documentation that surpasses descriptors such as formats and resolutions, and restores criteria such as informativeness, replicability, and representational validity for audio in language documentation. References Finnegan, R. 2008. Data – but data from what? In Peter Austin (ed) Language Documentation and Description. London: SOAS Schueller, D. 2006. Audio recording, digitisation and archiving. Workshop held at ELAR, SOAS, 13 February 2006
Portrait of Russell Crowe, taken at the Australian Film Institute awards at the Powerhouse Museum, 1993 [picture] /
No full textAlso available in an electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn3291972
Portrait of the members of INXS [picture] /
No full textTitle devised from caption list supplied by photographer.; Also available in an electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn3551391; Purchased from the photographer, 2006. This photograph was taken in 1997 with the signing of INXS to a new record label, a new album to promote and the announcement of an Australian tour. Left to right: Kirk Pengilly - guitar, saxophone; Andrew Farris - keyboard and guitar; Tim Farris - guitar; John Farris - drums and keyboard; Michael Hutchence - vocals; Garry Beers - Bass
Portrait of Dick Smith [picture] /
No full textTitle devised from caption list supplied by photographer.; Also available in an electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn3551389; Purchased from the photographer, 2006. This photograph of Dick Smith was taken at the premier of 'Jesus Christ Superstar' at The State Theatre in Sydney in 1994
Australian singer John Farnham performing at the V8 Supercar concert, Homebush Bay, New South Wales, 3 December 2011 [picture] /
No full textTitle devised by cataloguer from information provided in acquisitions documentation, see file NLA 03/1114.; Acquired in digital format; access copy available online.; Mode of access: Online.; Purchased from the photographer, 2012
[John Coburn with sketchbook] [picture] /
No full textTitle devised by cataloguer based on information from acquisition documentation.; Also available in an electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn3296949
Don Walker, taken at Johnno's Blues Bar, Cairns, Queensland, May 2006 [picture] /
No full textTitle devised by cataloguer based on information from acquisition documentation.; Also available in an electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn3793535; Purchased from the photographer, 2006. Don Walker is an Australian musician and songwriter. He was one of the founding members of Cold Chisel, and wrote hits for them including Khe San which alone had a big impact on Australian music culture. Walker continues to play solo as well as with Tex, Don and Charlie, ahd has wirtten songs for a wide range of Australian artists
Portrait of artist, Euan Macleod, in his studio, Sydney, ca. 2003 [picture] /
No full textAlso available in an electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn3124066
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