Prof. Dr. G u i d o M e n s c h i n g

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Sardinian: History, Structure and Multimedia Presentation

Researchers: Lucia Grimaldi, Eva Remberger

The aim of this project, located at the Department of Romance Philology of the Freie Universität Berlin since 15th April 2000, is the study of several fields of the Sardinian language, among others its syntax, morphology, lexicon, phraseology, historical grammar and orthography/standardisation. In addition to traditional research methods we also leverage modern information technologies. For this purpose, during the years 1994-99, then located at the  Department of Linguistic Data Processing (Institut für Sprachliche Informationsverarbeitung) at the University of Cologne, a website on Sardinian Language and Culture (Limba e Curtura de sa Sardigna) was developed – also under the guidance of Guido Mensching; this web site has been further maintained and elaborated at the FU Berlin. The following aims are to us of primary importance:

1. Communication: according to UNESCO estimates Sardinian is an endangered language (cf. Unesco Red Book on Endangered Languages). This is among others due to the fact that Sardinian is primarily used in oral contexts, with Italian being prevalent in formal or written contexts. A mailing list in Sardinian language, sa-limba, with the aim of countering this trend was established in January 1999. It discusses language, political, historical and cultural issues related to Sardinia. By using Sardinian beyond dialect regions and in written form, the communication context of the language is hence broadened. Thus sa-Limba promotes communication in Sardinian not only on the internet but also beyond. An even faster and more direct form of communication is possible on the Sardinian chat-channel (Tzarra).
2. Documentation: Besides the collection of Sardinian texts (Sardinian Text Database) put together with the support of Sardinian native speakers, since 1999 the mail archives of sa-Limba and the public chat transcripts constitute a corpus of present Sardinian; for linguistics, they are insofar unique in that they represent a texttype which is conceptually oral. In order to make the developing corpus accessable for linguistic analysis, a machine-readable encoding on the lines of the Text Encoding Initiative is envisaged. The encoding will be done in XML.
3. Information: Putting together all information on Sardinian available on the internet and offering linguistic information in a systematic form should make our website a hub of information on the language. We plan a continuous update and a complete refactoring of the site to make it more user friendly. Project pages which are presently only available in German or English shall be translated into Sardinian. By means of custom query tools (e.g. an online-bibliography - in preparation -, an interactive dictionary, a concordance for Sardinian words) a more purposeful search of information ought to be made possible. Apart from this, cooperations with related institutions which arose from contacts on the internet should be expanded to a cooperative network for the promotion of Sardinian language and culture. 
4. Linguistic evaluation: The first results achieved using the thus gained data have been presented in various talks held by the project members and are accessable on the project website. As soon as the encoding of the present corpus reaches a certain stage, studies on syntactic, morphological and lexical aspects of Sardinian will be intensified. By integrating interactive programms, systematic questionnaires on specific linguistic subjects adressed to native speakers should be made possible
.

 
Project pages
 

Limba e curtura de sa Sardigna

Sardinian Text Database

Sa-Limba Mailingliste  Archiv

 
Online- and multimedia-publications

• Grimaldi, L./Mensching, G. (2002a): "Multilingualism in Sardinian toponymy", in: Eighth United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names, Berlin, Germany, 27 August to 5 September 2002. Topical exhibition. Frankfurt am Main : Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy, Dutch- and German-Speaking Div. CD-ROM, PowerPoint-Präsentation: topic2.pdf
• Grimaldi, L./Mensching, G. (2002b): "The development of toponyms in Sardinia", in: Eighth United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names, Berlin, Germany, 27 August to 5 September 2002. Topical exhibition. Frankfurt am Main : Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy, Dutch- and German-Speaking Div. CD-ROM, PowerPoint-Präsentation: topic1.pdf
  
• Grimaldi, L./Remberger, E. (2001) "The Promotion of the Sardinian Language and Culture via the Internet: Fields of Activity and Perspectives" .
• Mensching, G. (2000): "The internet as a rescue tool of endangered languages: Sardinian".
• Remberger, E. (1999): "Sa-Limba: Das Sardische im Internet".
• Mensching, G. (1997):  "Lingue in pericolo e comunicazione globale: il sardo su Internet".

Publications

• Mensching, G. (in print): "La sintaxis del infinitivo sardo a la luz de teorías generativistas recientes" in Lingua Sarda 1.
• Mensching, G./Grimaldi, L. (in print): "Limba Sarda Unificada. Zu den jüngsten Bestrebungen der Standardisierung des Sardischen“.
• Mensching, G. (2004): "Su sardu – limba arcàica o limba moderna?", in: Grimaldi, L./Mensching, G. (eds.): Su sardu: Limba de Sardigna e limba de Europa. Atti del congresso di Berlino 30 novembre - 2 dicembre 2001. Cagliari: Cuec, 27-53.
• Grimaldi, Lucia (2004): "Internet: una prospettiva per la promozione e lo studio delle lingue ‘minoritarie’", in: Grimaldi, L./Mensching, G. (eds.): Su sardu: Limba de Sardigna e limba de Europa. Atti del congresso di Berlino 30 novembre - 2 dicembre 2001. Cagliari: Cuec, 169-191.
• Grimaldi, L./Mensching, G. (eds.) (2004): Su sardu: Limba de Sardigna e limba de Europa. Atti del congresso di Berlino 30 novembre - 2 dicembre 2001. Cagliari: Cuec.
• Mensching, G. (1999): "Lingue in pericolo e comunicazione globale: il sardo su Internet" in: Bolognesi, R. & Helsloot, K. (eds.): La lingua sarda. L'identità socioculturale della Sardegna nel prossimo millennio. Atti del Convegno di Quartu Sant'Elena 9-10 Maggio 1997, Cagliari: Condaghes, 171-191.
• Mensching, G. (1997): "Campidanesisch mitza 'Quelle' – punisch oder lateinisch?" in: Bollée, A. & Kramer, J. (eds.): Latinitas et Romanitas. Festschrift für Hans Dieter Bork zum 65. Geburtstag, Bonn: Romanistischer Verlag.
• Mensching, G. (1995): "Die Sardische Sprache / Sa limba sarda" in: Eccetera 3, 15-16.
• Mensching, G. (²1994): Einführung in die sardische Sprache, 2. ed., Bonn: Romanistischer Verlag (= Bibliothek romanischer Sprachlehrwerke 2).
 

Talks

 

August 2002	Grimaldi, L./Mensching, G.: "Multilingualism in Sardinian toponymy" und "The development of toponyms in Sardinia". Eighth United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names, Berlin. Topical exhibition.
June 2002	Mensching, G./Remberger, E.: "Diachronie und Synchronie europäischer Regionalsprachigkeit im Vergleich: Sardisch". Symposium "Diachronie und Synchronie europäischer Regionalsprachlichkeit im Vergleich" im Internationalen Wissenschaftsforum der Universität Heidelberg.
May 2002	Grimaldi, L.: "Il sardo su internet. L’esperienza con il sito ‘Limba e cultura de sa Sardigna’". Centmilfueis, Incuintris spetacui events di culture furlane, Comune di Udine, Italien.
November-December 2001	"Su Sardu: Limba de Sardinna e Limba de Europa". Internationaler Kongress in sardischer und italienischer Sprache anlässlich des Europäischen Jahres der Sprachen 2001. Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin & Circolo Sardo di Berlino e.V.
June 2001	Grimaldi, L./Remberger, E.: "The Promotion of the Sardinian Language and Culture via the Internet: Fields of Activity and Perspectives ". University of Bath, Workshop: "Minority Languages in Europe: Frameworks – Status – Prospects. A Pan-European, Comparative, Multidisciplinary Approach".
Nov. 2000	Mensching, G. : "The internet as a rescue tool of endangered languages: Sardinian". San Sebastian, "Multimedia and Minority Languages International Congress".
Oct. 1998	Mensching, G.: "Estructuras interrogativas en sardo: análisis minimalista", University of Innsbruck, Conference "Fragen über Fragen".
May 1997	Mensching, G.: "Il sardo su Internet: stato attuale e prospettive", Cagliari, Conference "La Lingua Sarda: l'identità socioculturale della Sardegna nel prossimo milennio".
April 1996	Mensching, G.: "How to write a Sardinian Grammar?", University of Amsterdam, First Meeting of the Sardinian Language Group.
June 1994	Mensching, G.: "Problemi di sintassi sarda", Cologne, Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Secondo convegno sul tema "Sardegna: lingua, cultura e società".
April 1989	Mensching, G.: "Presentazione del libro Einführung in die Sardische Sprache", Cologne, Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Convegno sul tema "Sardegna: lingua, cultura e società".





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