Change Over Time: Ethnobotanical Data in Linguistic Documentation Dictionaries from 1960-2020

Presented by Lauren Hall at the Language Documentation and Archiving Conference, Berlin & Online, 4-6 Sept, 2024 Linguistic documentation practices have undeniably evolved over the years. Such change has largely been in response to developments like advancement of technologies and the evolution of academic and cultural values which then get reflected in fieldwork methods employed. It stands to reason that typically non-linguistic topics of cultural value can be reflected in linguistic documentary work. This study focuses on the socio-political movement of environmentalism which gained popularity in the 1960s and turned greater attention to preservation of natural resources and biodiversity. The effects of such a long-lasting and globally recognized movement are frequently analyzed in relation to preservation of biodiversity and the climate crisis, but the effect of this movement on research like linguistics is not widely known. There is, however, ample literature on what linguists should include in documentations, such as the inclusion of the binomial nomenclature of plant species when possible. However, more recent guidelines emphasize including use(s) of the plant, taxonomy, and cultural significance as well. An assessment of the application of such documentary practices has not been widely observed. This research explores linguistic documentation dictionary works from 1960 to 2020 to assess efforts made in the past six decades to include data deemed relevant and important for scientific identification and cultural value. The primary method of analysis consists of assessing trends of what types of information are typically included or excluded in linguistic dictionary works as well as if factors like year of publication or type of publication affect inclusion of plantrelated words and information. Being aware of any change over the past six decades will help to identify any room for improvement to implement in future linguistic documentation efforts and to thus help preserve linguistic diversity in the long term.