Digitization of Linguistic Research as Means of Preservation of Linguistic Diversity of Siberia (Database of Dialogical Speech of Minority Ethnic Groups of Novosibirsk Region and Adjacent Regions)

Representatives of two indigenous ethnic minorities, Baraba Tatars and Chat Tatars, live in the Novosibirsk Region. Their languages and culture are endangered for a number of extralinguistic reasons: disruption of their compact residence; interrupted passing of the language and traditions from generation to generation; labor migration; globalization. Whereas 20-25 years ago children spoke their native idiom, now there are either no young speakers or very few. The language is limited to the domestic use; there is no written tradition. The related Turkic languages, Kumandin and Teleut, are in a similar condition. However, a written form has been developed or is being developed for the two languages. The situation among the Mennonite Germans of Siberia is slightly better, but the general trends in language development are the same as among the indigenous peoples. The project included the development of a database of dialogical speech of Baraba Tatars, Chat Tatars, Kumandins, Teleuts and Mennonite Germans that provides audio records of dialogs of native speakers with different communicative focus (both full-length or separate phrases). In addition to studying the intonation of dialogical speech, the project author is developing spelling rules (all texts are transcribed in the original language and translated into Russian). Individual phrases have phonemic marks, which allow performing intonation analysis semi-automatically. Modern technologies enable researchers to introduce into scientific circulation and provide access to the recorded speech of ethnic minorities, which surely contributes to the preservation of endangered idioms.