Chimane areal documentation, description and materials development

The Endangered Language Documentation Programme (ELDP) provides grants worldwide to for the linguistic documentation of endangered language and knowledge. Grantees create multimedia collection of endangered languages. These collections are preserved and made freely available through the Endangered Languages Archive (ELAR) housed at the library of SOAS University of London.

Chimane (or Tsimane\') is spoken by 3000-5000 people in lowland Bolivia. The project aims to document and map speech practices across the Chimane speaking area, to produce a multimedia encyclopedia of cultural and linguistic information and community-led film, and to train interested community members in language documentation techniques and furnish them with equipment so they may continue the project after the end of the funding period. The applicant will also complete a doctoral thesis comprising a sketch grammar and a detailed study of valency changing operations in the language based on documentary materials arising from the project. Primary investigator: Sandy Ritchie

Project Details


Location: Bolivia, South America, Americas Organiser(s): Endangered Languages Documentation Programme Project partner(s): SOAS, University of London Funder(s): Arcadia Funding received: £7,615.00 Commencement Date: 01/2010
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