PRL workshops are designed to develop (or revise) an orthography that will be easy for mother tongue speakers to learn and to use. 

The phonemic and phonotactic structure of the language is determined from data that is contributed by the workshop participants themselves. Workshop activities are structured so that the resultant orthography: 

• Accurately represents all relevant phonological contrasts based on insider knowledge and awareness 

• Adequately marks relevant grammatical features (e.g. TAM distinctions, etc.)

• Is intuitive and acceptable to native speakers 

• Provides suitable rules for word boundaries (including numbers, derivational morphemes, and clitics)

Various other materials can be produced during and/or after the workshop, depending on the language community's goals and desires. Such materials may include:

• Alphabet posters (with example words and illustrations selected by participants)

• Vowel-teaching booklets

• Thematic picture booklets  (e.g. body parts, animals, plants, etc. ) 

• Small lexicons

• Story booklets and other cultural literature

• Collections of proverbs

• Orthography guides (drafted by the participants)

• Testing materials (to test the new orthography in the community)

• Write-ups of workshop discoveries, along with examples and orthography decisions

• Descriptions of ongoing orthography challenges and possible solutions, as an aid in seeking input from others in the community

Workshop data can also be used as material for linguistic publications, such as descriptive sketches, dissertations, and/or historical and comparative studies.

PRL workshops provide opportunity for both community members and facilitating linguists to grow in competency. 

Participants:

• Learn how to use their own data to discover the sound system of their language, including its phone inventory, relevant suprasegmentals, and grammar. 

• Increase in knowledge of linguistic topics such as vowels, consonants, syllable structure and tone through hands-on activities, and gain a metalanguage with which to discuss these concepts

• Become more equipped to recognize the structural and phonological differences between their language and other known languages

• Grow in confidence and competency in reading and writing their language through facilitator-led practice

• Gain more awareness of the difficulties inherent in creating an orthography

• Begin developing a writing style for their language 

Linguists:

• Hone skills in community engagement and workshop facilitation through practical experience

• Acquire experience analyzing “messy” language data

• Gain proficiency in writing up research results as a descriptive language sketch

• Become further equipped to replicate the PRL method in other contexts and to train others

 The impact of a PRL workshop extends beyond the immediate tangible results to future language research and development. 

The resultant orthography can be used by the language community to...

• Exchange electronic messages with family and friends

• Document their history 

• Write down traditional stories, proverbs, poems, and songs

• Print a translation of the Bible in their language

• Write books

• Etc.

The training received empowers workshop participants to...

• Have ownership of the writing system used for their language

• Make more informed decisions regarding orthography choices and revisions

• Share what they have learned about their language with the wider language community 

• Teach the new orthography to others

• Pursue further linguistic training

• Carry forward the development of their language

Facilitators report that participants exit the workshop with a strengthened sense of identity, an increased confidence in their ability to develop an orthography and expand linguistic knowledge about their language, an interest in further language research, and an excitement to use the new orthography and teach it to others.