Nick Thieberger

My PhD was a grammar of the Nafsan language of central Vanuatu. It was the first such work to use new methods in creating a collection of primary research records (media and transcripts) that could be accessed and cited.

This led to the realisation that many records made by linguists were in danger of being lost, thus also losing the research base created by generations of researchers.

I then collaborated (with Linda Barwick at Sydney) on developing the Pacific and Regional Archive for Digital Sources in Endangered Cultures (PARADISEC), an ongoing project that started in 2003 and houses material from more than 1,000 languages.

As humanities scholars we have engaged with new technologies to define workflows and provide archives of research material that conform to all relevant international standards, and also make it possible for speakers anywhere to locate the recordings made by them or by their ancestors.