Austroasiatic Research Group
This research group is concerned with the study of endangered communication systems in Southeast Asia. Consolidating a long-standing niche of Lund research on lesser known cultures and languages in that region, the group provides a cross-disciplinary environment in which this research can develop and expand. Specifically, it works towards an integrated approach to the description, analysis, documentation and comparison of communication systems in communities speaking endangered languages of the Austroasiatic language family. A major aim is to expand the research endeavour beyond conventional grammar studies and incorporate fields like prosody, semantics, cognition and musicology into endangered languages research. Also, by developing joint methodologies and a coherent digital database, the group provides an environment in which a range of theoretical questions can be asked and tested across languages and disciplines. Data generated by the group make up a unique record of vanishing communication systems, available also for future research.