Certificate in Language Documentation and Revitalization (CLaDR)

This CLaDR certificate provides students with targeted training in current best practices in the areas of language documentation and revitalization, with a focus on the Indigenous languages of the Americas. It is intended for undergraduate students majoring in Linguistics or a related field, who have an interest in linguistic diversity, social justice, and Indigenous and other minoritized populations around the world. Students will develop an understanding of the historical causes and on-going societal impacts of language loss, the complex factors involved in language maintenance, and effective methods for documenting endangered languages and reversing language shift. The certificate requires ★27 in coursework, including a practicum course, and will prepare students for work with Indigenous communities and organizations on language documentation and revitalization projects, as well as advanced work in linguistics at the graduate level.

You can apply here, at any time during your degree prior to the deadline for graduation. This link takes you to a google form, housed on the Faculty of Arts website, Student Services, Forms and Information for Students, Forms for Students, Declaration or Change of Certificate(s). 

To be awarded the certificate students must apply through Undergraduate Student Services in the Faculty of Arts by the application deadline for convocation (see Academic Schedule).

Certificate Requirements

Students may pursue this certificate by fulfilling existing requirements in their respective disciplines, by completing ★27:

★21 required courses

  • LING 101 - Introduction to Linguistic Analysis
  • LING 204 - Syntax of the World's Languages
  • LING 205 - Phonetics
  • LING 224 - Endangered Languages
  • LING 361 - Language Revitalization
  • LING 362 - Language Documentation
  • LING 460 - Practicum in Language Documentation and Revitalization**

★3 selected from

  • LING 360 - Indigenous Languages of the Americas
  • LING 363 - Lexicography

★3 selected from

  • Any 300- or 400- level LING
  • ANTHR 301 - Introduction to Ethnographic Methods
  • NS 152 - Introductory Cree
  • NS 355 - Indigenous Knowledge and Oral Traditions
  • NS 390 - Research Methods in Indigenous Studies

For more information, contact Dr Jordan Lachler.

** LING 460: Practicum in Language Documentation and Revitalization

This is the capstone course for the Certificate in Language Documentation and Revitalization (CLaDR). You must complete either LING 361 Language Revitalization or LING 362 Language Revitalization before you can take LING 460.  Since both LING 361 and LING 362 courses are required for the Certificate, we recommend when possible that you complete both of those courses before taking LING 460.

In this course, you will work individually with a faculty member on a specific project related to documentation and/or revitalization.  This will give you a chance to apply what you have learned in earlier CLaDR courses to a real-world project.  The details of each course — the tasks, the meeting schedule, the required assignments, etc. — will be determined collaboratively by the student and the instructor.

To sign up for LING 460, you can follow one of two paths:

Path 1: If you have a particular faculty member in mind that you would like to work with, you can reach out to them directly with an email. Let them know that you are interested in doing LING 460 with them during an upcoming semester, and ask them if they have any availability. While we aim to have as many faculty members available for LING 460 each semester as we can, not every faculty member is available each semester.

Path 2: If you don't have a particular faculty member in mind — or if that person is unavailable during the semester you want to take LING 460 — you can send an email to the current CLaDR advisor, Dr. Jordan Lachler, at: lachler@ualberta.ca.  Let him know that you are interested in taking LING 460, and he will assist you in finding an available faculty member who you can work with.

We strongly encourage you to begin making plans for your LING 460 course at least one full semester in advance. This will give you sufficient time to find an instructor, and to work with them to design what the course will look like.