CAREER: Documenting the Languages of Manang, Nepal for Local and International Impact

在日益全球化的世界中，土著少数民族语言，如尼泊尔马南地区的部落语言，受到移民、年轻使用者人口减少和占主导地位的多数文化的影响的威胁。这个职业项目通过探索语言文献的创新方法，对语言濒危做出了独特的回应，这些方法也涉及并惠及不同的人群。该项目包括对Nyeshangte、Gyalsumdo、Manang-Gurung和Nar-Phu四种部落语言的合作、多机构实地调查，以便将传统的记录方法与尖端的可视化工具相结合。研究人员将采用其他语言和方言变异研究的方法，建立一个可上网的多媒体地图集，绘制出马南丰富的语言历史、变异和态度。这一产出将代表一种新的文件编制方法，从地理角度绘制这些语言的结构细节、威胁、生存情景和未来前景。该项目还将为尼泊尔的语言濒危和生存情况提供必要的学习工具。一个焦点小组将是大学生，他们代表有影响力的全球公民，否则他们只会在教科书和讲座的独立背景下遇到濒危和保护问题。项目方法将包含一种协作精神，包括与加德满都的特里布万大学以及与马南区训练有素的助理人员合作。该项目还将涉及与国内机构地理信息系统项目的同事和学生合作。大学生参与数据收集和分析的所有阶段，以及教学材料的设计。此外，该项目还将与弗吉尼亚大学的档案管理员合作，研究长期数据保存和可视化协议。从这个项目中获得的目标、方法和资源将为未来的文档、档案、教育和语言意识努力提供一个令人兴奋和开创性的标准。这个国际项目是由文化人类学、记录濒危语言和国际科学与工程办公室资助的。

In an increasingly globalized world, indigenous minority languages, such as the tribal languages of Nepal's Manang District, are threatened by migration, the loss of younger speaker populations, and the influence of dominant majority cultures. This CAREER project undertakes a unique response to language endangerment by exploring innovative methods of language documentation that also involve and benefit diverse populations. The project encompasses collaborative, multi-institutional field investigations of the four tribal languages Nyeshangte, Gyalsumdo, Manang-Gurung and Nar-Phu in order to merge traditional documentation methods with cutting-edge visualization tools. Investigators will adapt approaches from other studies of language and dialect variation by building a web-accessible, multi-media atlas to chart the rich language histories, variation, and attitudes found in Manang. This output will represent a new approach to documentation, one with a geographic perspective to chart structural details, threats, survival scenarios and future prospects within and across these languages. The project will also provide essential learning tools about, and for, language endangerment and survival scenarios in Nepal. One focus group will be undergraduate university students, who represent influential global citizens who would otherwise encounter issues of endangerment and preservation only in a detached context of textbooks and lecture. Project methods will embrace a collaborative spirit, including work with Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu, and with trained assistants in the Manang District. The project will also involve work with colleagues and students in the Geographic Information Systems program at the home institution. University students are involved in all phases of data collection and analysis, and in the design of pedagogical materials. Additionally, the project will collaborate with archivists at the University of Virginia on long-term data preservation and visualization protocols. The goals, methods, and resources garnered from this project will provide an exciting and groundbreaking standard for future documentation, archival, educational, and language awareness endeavors.This international project is funded by Cultural Anthropology, Documenting Endangered Languages, and the Office of International Science and Engineering.