Building the NTT Language Archive: Collaboration and interoperability

  • John Haan, Agape Indah Language and Culture Centre, Indonesia
  • Gary Holton, University of Alaska Fairbanks, United States
  • John Bowden, Australian National University, Australia
  • This paper describes recent efforts to develop a language archive for Nusa Tenggara Timor, an eastern Indonesian province which is home to more than 70 distinct languages of both the Austronesian and Papuan groups. Many of the languages are highly endangered, and many have yet to be adequately documented. Although there have been considerable efforts by both outside researchers and community members to record these languages, access to linguistic recordings is almost non-existent within the region. To the extent recordings have been archived, they are housed at remote, foreign sites and are generally not discoverable. The NTT Language Archive will attempt to collect copies of extant historic recordings while also developing a methodology for systematically acquiring new audio and visual documentation of NTT languages.

    Accomplishing this goal is made possible in part through the increasing availability of digital technologies. However, as has been made clear in other grass-roots contexts, it can be challenging to effectively leverage technology without strong institutional support. Hence, the NTT Language Archive will work with international archive partners to ensure long-term preservation of digital materials and adherence to international protocol. This collaboration approach has the distinct advantage of allowing each project partner to focus on core strengths. The local archive can focus on community access issues, while the international archive can focus on digital standards and preservation issues. We hope the NTT Language Archive can serve as a model for further development of grass-roots language and culture archives in the region.