Language in the Can. How language ends up in the archive

Languages are containers for knowledge. Not only can content be formulated directly in language, but it can also be stored in the way individual words are formed, in grammatical concepts and linguistic structures. So it’s no wonder that the different languages in the world fascinate scientists.

In order to get to know a language, researchers have to make contact with a wide variety of people and record their utterances. This is how sound and language archives are created, such as those kept at the Humboldt Forum. But how do you document a language? Do you record everyday conversations or lists of words? Are sounds enough or do you also need video recordings? How do you get people to speak in front of a microphone or camera? And who owns the language once it is in the box?
Mandana Seyfeddinipur, Director of the Endangered Languages Archive and Documentation Programme, talks to curator Uta Kornmeier about these and other questions.

The event marks the start of the series of academic talks, WeSearch: WorldLanguages – LanguageWorlds, which begins on 31 October 2024 at the Humboldt Forum. In six events, it will take a look at various Indigenous languages in dialogue with linguists and other experts.