Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages

Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages
Name	Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages
Type	Non-profit
Founded	2005
Founders	David Harrison, Leanne Hinton
Location	Salem, Oregon, United States
Focus	Language documentation, revitalization, education

Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the documentation, preservation, and revitalization of endangered languages worldwide. Founded in 2005, the institute collaborates with indigenous communities, academic institutions, and cultural organizations to create recordings, dictionaries, curricula, and digital archives. Its work spans regions including North America, South America, Australia, Asia, and the Pacific, engaging with speakers, scholars, and policymakers.

History

The institute was established in 2005 by linguists including David Harrison and Leanne Hinton in Salem, Oregon, following projects connected to Yale University, University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, University of Oxford, and fieldwork traditions traceable to Franz Boas and Edward Sapir. Early initiatives built on collaborations with groups associated with Smithsonian Institution, National Science Foundation, Endangered Languages Project, and academic programs at University of California, Santa Cruz and University of Hawaii. Over time the institute formed ties with indigenous organizations such as the Yurok Tribe, Karuk Tribe, and Mapuche communities, while engaging scholars from University of Cambridge, Australian National University, University of Toronto, and University of Auckland.

Mission and Activities

The institute’s mission emphasizes collaborative documentation and revitalization, aligning with principles promoted by UNESCO and networks like the Endangered Languages Archive and SIL International. Activities include linguistic fieldwork, development of educational materials used by institutions such as Smith College and Harvard University, digital archiving consistent with standards from the Digital Public Library of America, and advocacy that intersects with policy work at bodies like the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The institute partners with cultural centers such as the National Museum of the American Indian and engages with community-led programs modeled after efforts like the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project and the Hawaiian Language Revitalization movement.

Fieldwork and Documentation

Fieldwork projects have documented languages across continents, involving collaboration with communities linked to Haida Nation, Navajo Nation, Māori, Quechua, Aymara, Kuna, Yolngu, Bardi, Sámi, Inuktitut speakers, and many others. The institute employs methods refined in comparative studies by scholars at Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Leiden University, and University College London, producing audio and video corpora, lexical databases, and annotated transcriptions compatible with standards from ELAN and archives like PARADISEC. Field researchers have worked alongside elders from communities connected to the Cherokee Nation, Lakota, Ojibwe, Miwok, Tsimshian, Choctaw, and linguists trained at University of California, Los Angeles and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Community Programs and Revitalization

Community programs emphasize teacher training, immersion schools, and multimedia resources comparable to programs at Kamehameha Schools and the Totem Community House. Initiatives include immersion classes in partnership with tribal councils such as the Lummi Nation and language nests modeled after the Te Kōhanga Reo approach of New Zealand's Maori Language Commission. The institute has collaborated with cultural institutions like the California Indian Museum, Anthropological Institute, and educational programs at Portland State University and Oregon State University to create curricula, children's books, and mobile apps used by communities including the Gullah, Mapoyo, and Hopi.

Research and Publications

Scholarly outputs reflect collaboration with journals and presses associated with Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Language Documentation & Conservation, and the Journal of Linguistic Anthropology. Publications have addressed phonology, morphosyntax, and sociolinguistics informed by frameworks from Noam Chomsky, William Labov, and Dell Hymes, while contributing to edited volumes with scholars from Columbia University, Dartmouth College, and University of Chicago. The institute’s materials appear in bibliographies maintained by the Endangered Languages Project and are cited in reports by UNESCO and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding sources and partnerships have included grants and collaborations with the National Science Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, Ford Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and private donors connected to institutions such as Google Cultural Institute and Microsoft Research. The institute has formal partnerships with university language centers at University of Arizona, University of Washington, Indiana University Bloomington, and international partners like Monash University and University of São Paulo, as well as indigenous organizations including the Assembly of First Nations and regional cultural preservation councils.

Notable Projects and Impact

Notable projects include multilingual documentation efforts with Warlpiri and Arrernte speakers in Australia, collaborative lexicography with Kichwa and Shuar communities in Ecuador, and revitalization programs with Tlingit and Salish speakers in the Pacific Northwest. The institute’s recordings and pedagogical materials have been used by community schools related to the Cherokee, Yakama Nation, Nez Perce, and Makah peoples, and cited in policy recommendations at the United Nations and regional heritage plans of the Council of Europe. Its work has influenced language revitalization models alongside projects such as the Master-Apprentice Program and the Rosetta Project, contributing to public outreach via collaborations with the Smithsonian Folkways label and exhibitions at the American Museum of Natural History.

Category:Linguistics organizations Category:Endangered languages Category:Non-profit organizations based in Oregon