INNET · Innovative Networking in Infrastructure for Endangered Languages

Due to globalization and an enormous technological innovation cultures and languages are subject to extreme changes and many of them will become extinct in the coming decades and with them much knowledge about nature and history. Digital archives have been setup to preserve cultural and language materials for future generations, but also to serve as database for cross-linguistic research about how the human brain processes language.In parallel CLARIN has finished its preparatory phase in which many suggestions have been worked out for example for proper standards, for proper preservation and access, and in which a network of persistent centers with different types of language material as the backbone of an emerging research infrastructure has started of being established.INNET wants (1) to intensify and extend the existing worldwide archiving grid, (2) to revitalize the existing expert network and (3) to intensify the use of archives not only by researchers but also by schools and the public. The intention is (1) to give the CLARIN center network a worldwide extension and impact, (2) to use the expert network to disseminate the CLARIN achievements and (3) to create a larger user base that will make use of the data stored in the CLARIN center network.