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The documentation of endangered languages: The case of Cankiri Poshas
Abstract
This paper examines the methods and techniques used in fieldwork for documenting endangered languages in Anatolia, taking the Çankırı variety of the Posha language as a case in point. The data for the study were collected from Çankırı Poshas between 2010 and 2015. As pointed out in previous studies, the Posha language, including its regional variants, is endangered. However, documenting a minority language poses difficulties depending on the functions of the language in the community and the attitudes of the speakers toward their language. Sharing and discussing these challenges can contribute to the design of more methodologically sound future research and assist in identifying potentially misleading elements in existing data. In this context, this study offers a practice-informed theoretical perspective on the methods and techniques used in the documentation and analysis of an endangered language through examples from the Posha language.
Keywords
Supporting Institution
TÜBİTAK
Project Number
112R021
Ethical Statement
Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study with the consent form approved by the Institutional Review Board in Social Sciences and Humanities and Arts at Baskent University (Ankara).
Thanks
The data reported in this paper were collected with the financial support by TUBITAK SOBAG 1002—Short Term R&D Funding Program (project number: 112R021).
References
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- Anumyan, M. (2017). Türkiye’nin Karadeniz Bölgesinde Yaşayan Poşaların Bazı Sorunları Üzerine [On some problems of Poshas living in the Black Sea Region of Turkey]. Batı Ermenistan ve Batı Ermenileri Sorunları Araştırmaları Merkezi https://akunq.net/tr/?p=44548
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- Balabanian, G. (2024). A diachronic analysis of Western Armenian verbal morphology [Doctoral dissertation, University of Pennsylvania].
- Benninghaus, R. (1991). Les Tsiganes de la Turquie Orientale. Etudes Tsiganes, 37, 47–60.
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Language Documentation and Description , Linguistics (Other)
Journal Section
Research Article
Publication Date
January 27, 2026
Submission Date
November 10, 2024
Acceptance Date
July 17, 2025
Published in Issue
Year 1970 Volume: 36 Number: 3 - Türkiye'de Tehlikedeki Diller Özel Sayısı (Konuk Editörler: Mehmet Akkuş, Çiğdem Sağın Şimşek) / Special Issue - Endangered Languages in Turkey (Guest Editors: Mehmet Akkuş, Çiğdem Sağın Şimşek)
APA
Üzüm, M., & Demir, N. (2026). The documentation of endangered languages: The case of Cankiri Poshas. Dilbilim Araştırmaları Dergisi, 36(3 - Türkiye’de Tehlikedeki Diller Özel Sayısı (Konuk Editörler: Mehmet Akkuş, Çiğdem Sağın Şimşek) / Special Issue - Endangered Languages in Turkey (Guest Editors: Mehmet Akkuş, Çiğdem Sağın Şimşek), 231-259. https://doi.org/10.18492/dad.1582653
