This paper explores how language endangerment, documentation, and revitalisation can be connected by identifying ways in which documentation can support language teaching and learning. Up to now, documentation has brought a new focus to linguistics by attending to the nature of the data that supports linguistic research. There is a complementary – but largely unexplored – path of working out how documentary linguistics can support language learning and revitalisation. Right now, the methodologies of documentary linguistics for data collection and representation are barely innovative or distinctive for endangered (as opposed to healthy) languages. If the discipline is to continue in its role as the principal response by linguists to language endangerment, it needs to clarify its specialisations and to further develop the methodologies used in pursuit of them.

Language Documentation and Description, Vol. 6 (2009)