Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages is a leading research organization dedicated to documenting endangered languages. Our mission is to ensure language survival for generations to come. Founded by linguist Dr. Gregory D. S. Anderson, Living Tongues Institute is a non-profit research institute based in Salem, Oregon, with remote researchers located around the globe. Dr. Anderson and Living Tongues Director of Research Dr. K. David Harrison are known for their portrayal in the Emmy-nominated documentary film “The Linguists” (Ironbound Films, 2008).
ROUND UP FOR LIVING TONGUES
Help us bring voices to the future. Your support makes a world of difference. Now you can give on the go with Roundit, and automatically round up your credit or debit card purchases throughout the month. Your spare change will go directly to Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages. For a limited time, all donations will be matched! To download the Roundit app on your mobile device, just text ‘roundit’ to 21000 or visit one of these sites:
____________________________________________________
OUR APPROACH
We support speakers who are saving their languages from extinction through activism, education, and technology. Our teams document endangered languages, publish scientific research, present to multiple stakeholders, run digital training workshops to empower language activists, and collaborate with speakers to create online Talking Dictionaries. We raise awareness about endangered languages and revitalization efforts around the world.
Our researchers and collaborators have created more than 120 Talking Dictionaries to support threatened languages around the globe, and have provided valuable digital skills training as well as technological and scientific support to collaborators. We have also adopted a vertically integrative approach to language documentation, in which local language consultants learn transferable digital and scientific research skills to eventually become research assistants, colleagues, and ambassadors for their languages.
____________________________________________________________________
If you’re worried about the future of your language, this toolkit is a great place to start. In partnership with our colleagues at Wikitongues, we have identified a set of best practices for launching your own language revitalization project. Download the Toolkit here.
____________________________________________________________________
ONLINE LEARNING
If you want to learn an endangered language online, where do you begin? We are pleased to address this topic in our latest resource, “Learn Languages Online: A Guide To Studying Indigenous, Under-Resourced and Minority Languages” written by Living Tongues Program Director Anna Luisa Daigneault.
JOIN THE LIVING TONGUES SOCIETY
Consider becoming a member of our brand-new Living Tongues Society! It’s a great way to support us, receive invites to exclusive live-streamed events with our researchers, and learn about our work behind the scenes. Sign up here.
____________________________________________________________________
GRANTS & AWARDS
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the following organizations and funding agencies:
2019-2022. Sora Typological Characteristics: Towards a Re-Evaluation of South Asian Human History. National Science Linguistics Grant Award NSF/BCS #1844532.
2019-2021. Citizen science and cinematography: Documenting stories and technology of the Sora tribe (India). National Geographic Citizen Science Grant.
2018-2020. Documenting the Fragile Knowledge Domains of the Birhor People. The Zegar Family Foundation.
2015-2017. Documentation of Gutob, an endangered Munda language. National Science Foundation/Documentation of Endangered Languages Grant (Award #1500092).
2013-2015. Documentation of Hill Gta’–a seriously endangered Munda language. National Endowment for the Humanities / Documentation of Endangered Languages Grant (Award # PD-50025-13).
2013-2015. Melanesia Online: Ethnobotanical, Ethnozoological, Ethnogeographic knowledge of “tok ples” in Papua New Guinea. Christensen Fund.
2010-2011. Documentation of Remo (Bonda). National Science Foundation / Documentation of Endangered Languages Grant (Award # 0853877).
2007-2013: Enduring Voices Grant (National Geographic Society)