Resources

On this page we list the resources mentioned on the Competencies page, with links to places where these resources are freely (and legally!) available, or, where that is not possible, to places where more information about the resource can be found.

Atkins, B.T. Sue, and Michael Rundell. 2008. The Oxford Guide to Practical Lexicography. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Bartram, Cathy. 2013. Introductory Phonology. Gloucester: Center for Translation, Linguistics and Literacy.

Bartsch, Carla K. 2024. “Mentored Participatory Discourse Linguistics Training.” In Participatory Linguistics: Methods and Case Studies from around the World, edited by Timothy Stirtz, Michael Cahill, and Philip Davison, 381–90. Language Documentation & Conservation Special Publication 29. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press. https://hdl.handle.net/10125/74770.

Bickford, Anita C., and J.L. Stoliker. 2023. “SIL Tone Perception Training.” SIL Global. https://tone-perception.sil.org/web/about.html.

Burquest, Donald A. 1998. Phonological Analysis : A Functional Approach. Dallas, TX : Summer Institute of Linguistics. http://archive.org/details/phonologicalanal0000burq.

Cahill, Michael, and Elke Karan. 2008. “Factors in Designing Effective Orthographies for Unwritten Languages.” SIL Electronic Working Papers, 2008_001 (76): 16. https://www.sil.org/resources/archives/7830.

Casad, Eugene H. 1974. Dialect Intelligibility Testing. Summer Institute of Linguistics of the University of Oklahoma. https://www.sil.org/system/files/reapdata/85/37/26/85372638740600013916377001436207275325/10386.pdf.

Decker, Kendall D., and John Grummit. 2012. Understanding Language Choices: A Guide to Sociolinguistic Assessment. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. https://www.sil.org/resources/archives/51238.

Dixon, R.M.W. 2010a. Basic Linguistic Theory 1: Volume 1: Methodology. Hardback. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

———. 2010b. Basic Linguistic Theory 2: Volume 2: Grammatical Topics. Paperback. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

———. 2012. Basic Linguistic Theory 3: Volume 3: Further Grammatical Topics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Dooley, Robert A., and Stephen H. Levinsohn. 2000. Analyzing Discourse: A Manual of Basic Concepts. Dallas: SIL International.

Dye, T. Wayne. 2009. “The Eight Conditions of Scripture Engagement -- Social and Cultural Factors Necessary for Vernacular Bible Translation to Achieve Maximum Effect.” International Journal of Frontier Missiology 26 (2): 89–98. https://ijfm.dreamhosters.com/PDFs_IJFM/26_2_PDFs/89-98_Eight%20Conditions.pdf

Eberhard, David M., Bernadette Mitterhofer, Loren Maggard, Rynjean Gonzales, Scott Smith, Mike Frechette, Alice Reed, Daniel Duke, and Bill Bremmer. 2020. “The Language & Identity Journey.” 2020. https://sites.google.com/sil.org/thelanguageidentityjourney/the-journey.

Eberhard, David M., Gary F. Simons, and Charles D. Fennig. 2025. Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Twenty-Eighth Edition. Dallas, Tx. SIL International. https://www.ethnologue.com/.

Fasold, Ralph W. 1991. The Sociolinguistics of Society. 1st ed. Oxford New York, NY: Wiley-Blackwell.

International Phonetic Association. n.d. Illustrations of the IPA. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-international-phonetic-association/illustrations-of-the-ipa.

Joswig, Andreas. 2020. “Language Standardization Dilemmas in the Ethiopian Context.” In Essays on African Languages and Linguistics : In Honour of Maarten Mous, by G. J. van der Wal, H. J. Smits, S. Petrollino, V. a. S. Nyst, and M. G. Kossmann. African Studies Centre Leiden (ASCL). https://hdl.handle.net/1887/138531.

Karan, Elke. 2006. “Writing System Development and Reform: A Process.” Ph.D, Grand Forks, ND: University of North Dakota. https://commons.und.edu/theses/3004.

Karan, Mark E. 2011. "Understanding and Forecasting Ethnolinguistic Vitality". Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 32 (2): 137–49. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2010.541916.

Kroeger, Paul R. 2005. Analyzing Grammar: An Introduction. Illustrated Edition. Cambridge, UK ; New York: Cambridge University Press.

Kutsch Lojenga, Constance. 1996. “Participatory Research in Linguistics.” Notes on Linguistics 73:13–27. https://www.sil.org/resources/archives/4087 

Ladefoged, Peter. 2003. Phonetic Data Analysis. Oxford: Blackwell. https://www.google.de/books/edition/Phonetic_Data_Analysis/mdvtnQEACAAJ?hl=en.

Ladefoged, Peter, and Ian Maddieson. 1996. The Sounds of the World’s Languages. Oxford: Blackwell. https://books.google.de/books/about/The_Sounds_of_the_World_s_Languages.html?id=h1byJz_rWUcC&redir_esc=y.

Lahn, Carletta. 2024. “A Guide for Planning the Future of Our Language: A Participatory Approach to Community-Based Language Development.” In Participatory Linguistics: Methods and Case Studies from around the World, edited by Timothy Stirtz, Michael Cahill, and Philip Davison, 64–90. Language Documentation & Conservation Special Publication 29. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press. https://hdl.handle.net/10125/74746.

Lakoff, George. 1987. Women, Fire and Dangerous Things. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. https://www.google.de/books/edition/Women_Fire_and_Dangerous_Things/CfCnzSF9de8C?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover .

Levinsohn, Stephen H. 2023. Self-Instruction Materials on Narrative Discourse Analysis. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. https://www.sil.org/resources/publications/entry/98049.

Levinsohn, Stephen H., Steve Nicolle, and Tim Stirtz. 2024. Discourse Analysis and Bible Translation. SIL International.

Lewis, M. Paul, and Gary F. Simons. 2014. Sustaining Language Use. Pike Center for Integrative Scholarship. Dallas, Texas: Leanpub. https://leanpub.com/sustaininglanguageuse/.

Marlett, Stephen A. 2022. “An Introduction to Phonological Analysis.” https://www.sil.org/resources/archives/52676.

Merz, Johannes, Sharon Merz, Michael Jemphrey, and David Troolin. 2024. “Translating the Bible with People for People: How Current Anthropological Insights Contribute to Quality.” In Quality in Bible Translation: A Multi-Threaded Fabric, edited by Steve Watters and Reinier de Blois, 333–57. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. http://leanpub.com/qualityintranslation.

Merz, Sharon, and Johannes Merz. 2021. “What Is Anthropology’s Role in SIL?” SIL Global Anthropology: Foundational Documents (blog). 2021. https://sites.google.com/sil.org/international-anthropology/publications/foundational-documents?authuser=1&pli=1.

Moore, Hyatt, and Katie Voightlander. 1990. The Alphabet Makers: A Presentation from the Museum of the Alphabet. Huntington Beach, Calif: Wycliffe Bible Translators. https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Hyatt-Moore/dp/0938978136.

Newell, Leonard E. 1995. Handbook on Lexicography for Philippine and Other Languages. Manila: Linguistic Society of the Philippines.

Nicolle, Steve. 2024. “Workshops in Discourse Analysis for Translation.” In Participatory Linguistics: Methods and Case Studies from around the World, edited by Timothy Stirtz, Michael Cahill, and Philip Davison, 423–34. Documentation & Conservation Special Publication 29. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press. https://hdl.handle.net/10125/74774.

Pauw, Michel. 2024. “Discover Your Language Training in Papua New Guinea.” In Participatory Linguistics: Methods and Case Studies from around the World, edited by Timothy Stirtz, Michael Cahill, and Philip Davison, 310–21. LD&C Special Publications 29. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press. https://hdl.handle.net/10125/74764.

Payne, Thomas. 1997. Describing Morphosyntax: A Guide for Field Linguists. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Payne, Thomas. 2006. Exploring Language Structure: A Student’s Guide. Cambridge University Press. https://www.google.de/books/edition/Exploring_Language_Structure/8OhyvQEACAAJ?hl=en.

Rasmussen, Kent. 2024. “Phonology First: Methods That Delay Phonetics for Better Collaboration.” In Participatory Linguistics: Methods and Case Studies from around the World, edited by Timothy Stirtz, Michael Cahill, and Philip Davison, 52–62. Language Documentation & Conservation, special publication no. 29. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press. https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/items/7bf04364-c8ce-47b3-b461-297ed48477e9.

Schmid, Hans-Jörg. 2020. The Dynamics of the Linguistic System: Usage, Conventionalization, and Entrenchment. Illustrated Edition. OUP Oxford.

Schroeder, Leila. 2024. “African Access to a Quality Bible Translation.” In Quality in Translation -- a Multithreaded Fabric, edited by Steve Watters and Reinier de Blois, 307–32. LeanPub: Pike Center for Integrative Scholarship. https://leanpub.com/qualityintranslation.

Shopen, Timothy, ed. 1985a. Language Typology and Syntactic Description, Vol. I: Clause Structure. 3 vols. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

———, ed. 1985b. Language Typology and Syntactic Description, Vol. II: Complex Constructions. 3 vols. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

———, ed. 1985c. Language Typology and Syntactic Description, Vol. III: Grammatical Categories and the Lexicon. 3 vols. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Stirtz, Tim, and Mike Cahill. 2024. “Tacit Linguistic Knowledge Is Not Enough: Participatory Methods to Improve Quality in Bible Translation.” In Quality in Translation -- a Multithreaded Fabric, edited by Steve Watters and Reinier de Blois, 269–78. LeanPub: Pike Center for Integrative Scholarship. https://leanpub.com/qualityintranslation.

Svensén, Bo. 2009. A Handbook of Lexicography: The Theory and Practice of Dictionary-Making. 1st ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Trudell, Barbara. 2012. “Key Principles of Literacy Acquisition in Africa: SIL’s Perspective (with Copious References).” SIL Global. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VUS7doa7gKicCD6629t4krNV-4lwEd3Q/edit.

Trudell, Barbara, and Leila Schroeder. 2007. “Reading Methodologies for African Languages: Avoiding Linguistic and Pedagogical Imperialism.” Language, Culture and Curriculum 20 (3): 165–80. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/241734480_Reading_Methodologies_for_African_Languages_Avoiding_Linguistic_and_Pedagogical_Imperialism

Wardhaugh, Ronald, and Janet M. Fuller. 2021. An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. 8th ed. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. https://www.wiley.com/en-us/An+Introduction+to+Sociolinguistics%2C+8th+Edition-p-9781119473428.

Yip, Moira J.W. 2002. Tone. Cambridge University Press.