Resources for Linguistic Fieldwork

The following listings are resources to help fund and facilitate linguistics fieldwork.

Funding

UC Berkeley Only: Robert L. Oswalt Fund, administered by the Survey of California and Other Indian Languages
UC Berkeley Only: Graduate Division Summer Grants
UC System Only: UC Pacific Rim Research Program
National Science Foundation Documenting Endangered Languages (NSF DEL): From the program solicitation: "The program supports projects that contribute to data management and archiving, and to the development of the next generation of researchers. Funding can support fieldwork and other activities relevant to the digital recording, documenting, and archiving of endangered languages, including the preparation of lexicons, grammars, text samples, and databases. Funding will be available in the form of one- to three-year project grants as well as fellowships for up to twelve months and doctoral dissertation research improvement grants for up to 24 months." Deadline is Sep. 20, 2012, and Sep. 15 annually thereafter.
National Science Foundation (NSF) Dissertation Improvement Grants: From the program solicitation: "An outstanding dissertation proposal will clearly specify the leading research questions and hypotheses, the data relevant to answering those research questions, the theoretical framework being used and the methods of analysis. It will provide a brief literature review and a clear workplan. It will also address the NSF review criterion of broader impacts." In the past, the maximum budget was $12,000. Deadlines are Jan. 15 and Jul. 15 annually.
Hans Rausing Endangered Languages Project (HRELP): The ELDP (Endangered Languages Documentation Programme) offers substantial grants for linguistic fieldwork. For more details on funding levels and deadlines, click here.
American Philosophical Society Phillips Fund Grant for Native American Research: From the site: "The average award is about $2,500; grants do not exceed $3,500." Annual deadline of Mar. 1.
Whatcom Museum Jacobs Research Funds: Three grant types: Individual (maximum $3000), Group ($6000), Kinkade Grant ($9000)
Endangered Language Fund: Award average $2000, maximum about $4000. Deadline Apr. 20.
Wenner-Gren Foundation Grants: Maximum of $25,000. Annual deadlines of May 1 and Nov. 1.
University of Nevada, Reno: Sven and Astrid Liljeblad Endowment Fund: Look for current announcement. Deadline in 2008 was May 1. Grants are usually $5,000 or less.

Software

SIL FieldWorks Language Explorer (FLEx): A new standard tool for creating a user-friendly database of data collected during fieldwork.
ELAN: A powerful tool developed by MPI to do multi-tiered transcription.
SIL Toolbox: Another transcription tool in wide use.
SIL Software Catalog: A long list of software developed by and/or recommended by the SIL for linguistic fieldwork.
Audacity: A very versatile general audio tool.
Praat: An extensible suite of tools to do acoustic analysis. Praat can produce spectrograms, pitch traces, and can be used with scripts, among other functions.
WaveSurfer: An alternative to Praat for acoustic analysis. Is also able to produce spectrograms, pitch traces, and other useful data.
TypeCraft: From its website: "TypeCraft is an Interlinear Glossing Editor; the user adds linguistic annotation to written material which is stored in a relational database from where it can be retrieved using multiple views."
LaTeX for Linguists: Useful resources for using LaTeX typesetting to produce publications and other materials derived from linguistic fieldwork.

How To Actually Do Linguistic Fieldwork

From Stanford: Advice For Undertaking Fieldwork: This is a general guide to all aspects of fieldwork, including logistics, elicitation techniques, recording, ethical issues to be aware of, grammar and dictionary writing, etc. This is a good place to start with a lot of helpful information and links.
Language & Cognition Field Manuals and Stimulus Materials: "This site contains a bonanza of material for the field elicitation of semantics and and the field collection of verbal behavior. These are unique resources that have been compiled over nearly twenty years of investigation of under-studied languages by the Language and Cognition group at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics."
E-MELD: Guide to best practices in how to collect and store language data, materials, and metadata. This resource is invaluable for making sure your work will last and continue to be useful.
Endangered Languages Alliance: Resources for and details about conducting fieldwork on endangered languages with immigrants to New York City. Offers Swadesh lists in other contact languages for use with consultants as well as flyers to post for finding consultants.