Learning, Language and a Long-Term Mission

PODS We Love

In collaboration with UNT POD, our COI faculty experts discuss their mission to document and preserve endangered and indigenous languages, including South Asian languages such as Lamkang, Mankiyali, Kashmiri and Burushaski. They also discuss events such as UNT’s Year of Indigenous Languages series and Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

In this episode of UNT POD, our University of North Texas student and faculty experts discuss their mission to document and preserve endangered and indigenous languages, including South Asian languages such as Lamkang, Mankiyali, Kashmiri and Burushaski. They also discuss events such as UNT’s Year of Indigenous Languages series and Indigenous Peoples’ Day, set for 11 a.m. Oct. 15 at Sage Lawn.

In this episode, we discuss:

  • What “endangered language” really means
  • How languages lose vitality
  • UNT’s efforts in documenting and preserving endangered and indigenous languages
  • Important language archival tools such as CORSAL (Computational Resources for South Asian Languages)
  • Indigenous language events
  • Students who have come to UNT to help save their own languages

Featured in this episode are:

  • Shobhana Chelliah, associate dean and professor in UNT’s department of linguistics
  • Sadaf Munshi, chair and professor in UNT’s department of linguistics
  • Sumshot Khular, a Ph.D. student in UNT’s department of linguistics and a native Lamkang speaker
  • Javid Iqbal, a graduate student in UNT’s department of linguistics and a native speaker of Burushaski
  • Midhat Shah, a graduate student in UNT’s department of linguistics and a native speaker of Kashmiri
  • Christina Wasson, professor in UNT’s department of anthropology and the organizer of UNT’s Year of Indigenous Languages series

Listen to the Learning, Language and a Long-Term Mission episode