Nalanda Symposium 6 – Significance of Language Documentation

The Nalanda Symposium is a monthly online lecture series showcasing scholars from diverse disciplines who share their research, insights, and expertise.

Dr. Abhishek Avtans’ (Professor, Leiden University, The Netherlands) lecture highlighted the critical role of documenting endangered languages to preserve cultural heritage and linguistic diversity. He emphasized the need to create resources like dictionaries, primers, and grammars to support language revitalization, especially in India, which boasts 424 spoken languages across six families but faces the risk of extinction for many minority languages. Factors such as colonization, social and political pressures, and the dominance of larger languages contribute to this decline, compounded by the lack of generational transfer.

Dr. Avtans explained the fieldwork methods involved in language documentation, including recording, transcription, and translation using tools like Swadesh lists and specialized software. He illustrated this with examples, such as the critically endangered Great Andamanese languages, where only a few speakers of Aka-Bo remain. Beyond linguistic value, these languages carry ecological, historical, and sociocultural knowledge, making their preservation vital for maintaining cultural identity.

The lecture also underscored the practical applications of language documentation, from supporting academic research to fostering careers in linguistics and cultural preservation. Drawing on his fieldwork experiences, Dr. Avtans stressed the importance of cultural immersion and building trust with native speakers to ensure authentic and effective documentation.

Watch the lecture: