Multimedia and Endangered languages

David Nathan2005

Opportunities and obligations

imperative to use sound

communities typically have few usable resourcesmultimedia products can catalyse other activities

be aware that your product may have other effectspositivenegative

Collaborative development

Changing the dynamics bounded time and scope are performances not evidence community can steer the project transfer skills project has a biography that will resonate with its users helps build an interested and committed audience provide status and motivation for language work

Collaborative development

Paakantyi word elicitationavoiding mistakesart and lineage

• Paakantyi

• Map

Participants, art and lineage in the Paakantyi CD-ROM

Unforeseen usages

Products (or parts of them) may be used in different ways than you planned or envisgaed

Karaim performances

• Karaim

IP and sensitivities

You have to listen and negotiate, and follow community wishes

they might change over timeKamilaroi dictionaryan extreme case: Pistes de Reve (Dream

Trackers: Yapa Art and Knowledge of the Australian Desert; B Glowczewsky et al) (pto)

Variation

You also need to be sensitive to treating language differences among community members

differences amongst speakers/familiesno settled orthographieseg. Paakantyi

• Paakantyi

Working with “legacy” materials

In some cases you may choose, or have to, work with older/limited materials

eg. Paakantyi stories

• Paakantyi