Conceptualising language archives through legacy materials

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the role of linguistic legacy materials within archives and databases. These data of past documentation projects are currently playing a minor role in the design of modern language archives. This is due to various challenges that legacy materials pose – ethical considerations, difficulties with formats, unclear or deficient metadata. Tackling these challenges can highlight general issues in language documentation and the use of language data. These insights can be used to inform the design of tools and infrastructures for data in this field, both recent and legacy materials. Design/methodology/approach This paper is conceptual and theorises digital language archives through their oldest deposits. It is informed by the author’s experiences in working with linguistic legacy materials of the South Estonian Kraasna dialect. The discussion makes references to relevant discourses in linguistics, archiving and computer science, encouraging transdisciplinary efforts in the design of language archives. Findings A digital archive created around linguistic legacy materials has the potential to respond to challenges posed by current data. Originality/value This paper discusses digital language archives from the perspective of documentary linguistics. It introduces the challenges and necessary steps in curating legacy materials. Several suggestions for the design of digital archives arise from this discussion. These ideas can inspire creators of digital language archives and provide a view from researchers using legacy materials.