Science, January 25, 2008
Two Cultures

Yudhijit Bhattacharjee

DOCUMENTING DOCUMENTING. Linguists David Harrison and Gregory Anderson of the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages in Salem, Oregon, have trekked to many remote corners of the world to document dying languages. On three recent expeditions, they let a film crew tag along in hopes of furthering efforts to save endangered tongues.

The result is a 70-minute documentary that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last week. Produced by Ironbound Films and partly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, The Linguists follows Harrison and Anderson as they travel to Siberia, India, and Bolivia to locate and record the last living speakers of three endangered languages. It captures both the drama and thegrunt work involved in the project—from eureka moments with village elders to stomach problems and negotiations with reluctant governments. In one scene, for example, Anderson (left), tutored by native speakers, finally comprehends the "obscenely complex" counting system of the Sora language in the Indian state of Orissa.

Working with a film crew was "a little odd at first," Anderson says, "but eventually, we sort of forgot they were there." Harrison says the filmmakers helped open some doors, arranging a formal presentation to the Bolivian government to make the case for saving the Kallawaya language. "We wouldn'thave had that level of access without them," he says. Aportion of the proceeds from the film will go toward initiatives to record and revitalize endangered languages.