Experts estimate that only 50% of the over 7000 languages spoken today will still be spoken by the end of the century. In our era of globalization, the intellectual heritage of diverse languages is disappearing faster than ever before. What are the implications of this development for societies and the world’s knowledge systems, what are the processes and factors involved, and how are stakeholder (language users, the communities, linguists, policy makers, governments, NGOs) responding? These questions will be addressed in this course, which ranges from theoretical issues in language endangerment to practical measures to strengthen the vitality of languages.

• Level: MA (BA in linguistics or related field required).
• Requirements: There will be no homework.
• Materials: Course materials will be distributed.

This course offers a practical introduction to the collection and management of audiovisual data. Participants will learn to select and operate audio and video recording devices effectively. Beyond hardware, the curriculum covers supporting skills, including the development of efficient workflows, data management strategies, and the creation and utilization of metadata. It is designed to equip students with the technical foundation necessary for modern language documentation projects.

• Level: No previous knowledge required.
• Requirements: In-class participation.
• Materials: None required (will be provided by instructor).

This course provides hands-on training in three essential software tools for language documentation: ELAN, Praat, and FLEx. Following a standard fieldwork workflow, students will master audio segmentation, transcription, and translation in ELAN. The curriculum includes phonetic analysis in Praat and lexicography, text parsing, and glossing in FLEx. A key highlight is learning the integrated ELAN-FLEx-ELAN workflow, enabling students to leverage the unique strengths of each program while maintaining a seamless data corpus.

• Level: No previous knowledge required.
• Requirements: In-class participation and short homework tasks.
• Materials: ELAN, Praat, and FLEx software; EAF templates (directions on downloading these will be provided by the instructor prior to the start of the course).

In this course theory and practice go hand in hand. We will look at how expressions of orality have (and can) be studied and will work with storytellers from different communities to learn how to draft up teamwork-oriented research trajectories. This course on the one hand invites students to rethink what is known about research methods, orality and the stories and languages people share. On the other hand it invites students to participate in teamwork-oriented research both online and in real life.

• Level: This course is open to new and advanced students and benefits those interested in languages/linguistics, ethnography/anthropology, journalism, history as well as those who are interested in orality and storytelling itself.
• Requirements: None.
• Materials: Any course materials will be distributed by the teacher.