Understand and Hear the Power of Languages
Delve into the power of languages: the world’s language diversity, indigenous audio clips from Russia and Turkey, Turkic dialects, and indigenous language vocabulary.
Vocabulary in Bicol (18th century) by Institutions of the Spanish administration to govern and manage the overseas territories of Spain's colonial empireUNESCO Memory of the World
The Power of Languages
Language is a vital part of human connection and shared global humanity. Languages have the power to build and connect different societies through learning about ideas, perspectives, and behaviors that may be different from one’s own culture. Language also helps to preserve cultures and knowledge and allows for ideas and information to spread worldwide.
Eugene Gippius, Zinaida Evald and folk singer Ivan Moiseev from Kargopolsky district of Archangelsky province (20th century)UNESCO Memory of the World
Historical Collections of the Phonogram Archives
The Historical Collections (1889-1955) of the Phonogram Archives of the Institute of Russian Literature is a corpus of over 35,000 historical recordings (over 500 hours of recorded sound material) in the field of ethnomusicology, ethnolinguistics, and philology.
The general view of the Phonogram Archive’s Laboratory (20th century)UNESCO Memory of the World
Importance of the Historical Collections Archive
A high proportion of items in the Archives relate to the earliest period of recording with a phonograph in the field, pre-1910. These collections represent the recorded legacy of orally transmitted cultures of the former Tsarist Russian Empire and the later Soviet Union.
Diwan Lughat al-Turk, book page 3 (11th century)UNESCO Memory of the World
Compendium of the Turkic Dialects
The Compendium of the Turkic Dialects, also known as Diwan Lughat al-Turk, is the richest source for the language and ethnography of the Turks in the 11th century. This was a period when they were becoming the dominant military and political force in the Muslim world.
Diwan Lughat al-Turk, map (11th century)UNESCO Memory of the World
Importance of the Compendium of the Turkic Dialects
The Compendium is a remarkable document of Islamic civilization in the areas of grammar and lexicography, ethnography, and cartography - due to its inclusion of a celebrated world map, mappa mundi, showing the distribution of the Turkic peoples at that time. It’s a cultural treasure for the Turks, Uzbeks, Uygurs, and other Turkic and Iranian people of Central Asia.
Grammar, vocabulary and catechism in the Indian languages of Chaima, Cumanagoto, Core, Paria and other from the province of Cumaná or New Andalusia (17th century) by Institutions of the Spanish administration to govern and manage the overseas territories of Spain's colonial empireUNESCO Memory of the World
Indigenous language vocabulary from the New World
Indigenous language vocabulary from the New World translated into Spanish facilitated a greater understanding of the lexicography of 35 indigenous American and Asian languages. They were produced by the institutions of the Spanish administration to govern and manage the overseas territories of Spain's colonial empire at the end of the 18th century.
Vocabulary in the language of the Cagayan province (island of Luzon, archipelago of the Philippines) (18th century) by Institutions of the Spanish administration to govern and manage the overseas territories of Spain's colonial empireUNESCO Memory of the World
Importance of Indigenous Language Vocabulary Today
Many of the peoples reflected in the vocabulary are still present today. These documents are irreplaceable primary sources that provide a testament to the cultural diversity of the indigenous communities on three continents: America, Asia, and Oceania
Kilivila language, page 1 (1992) by Stephen LevinsonUNESCO Memory of the World
The Language Archive (TLA)
The Language Archive (TLA) offers and preserves unique samples of selected data collections of the world's language diversity. Its digital collection includes audio-visual and textual resources documenting hundreds of languages and cultures globally with high-quality samples of the languages.
ǂAkhoe Haiǁom language (2004) by Thomas WidlokUNESCO Memory of the World
Importance of the Language Archive
Started in the late 1990s, The Language Archive represents a landmark for language documentation and depicts little known and understudied communities. The recordings are done by world leading specialists with active involvement by these speech communities.
Phonogram Archive of the Institute of Russian Literature
St. Petersburg Phonogram Archives
Millet Manuscript Library, İstanbul
Compendium of Turkish Dialects - Millet Manuscript Library, İstanbul
Directorate of the Turkish Institution for Manuscripts
Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport. General Directorate of Fine Arts, Cultural Heritage and of Archives and Libraries
The Language Archive
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