Lexicography and language documentation: Urgency, challenges, possibilities

The alarming rate at which minority languages are vanishing around the globe has engendered the field of language documentation, of which lexicography is an essential component. In this context, several major developments have emerged in the last two decades, including the importance of involving and collaborating with the speech community, as well as the rise of novel digital technologies. This article first outlines the endangerment status of minority languages in various Asian countries. It then presents and critically examines a variety of tools that are available to linguists and lexicographers who are interested in the task of documenting the lexicon of an endangered language. That task is urgent and challenging, but also possible and rewarding.