Software

Wordsurv

WordSurv helps determine linguistic relationships by aiding the comparison of word lists. It functions in three main areas: (1) entry and maintenance of word lists and cognate decisions, (2) computation of lexicostatistic and phonostatistic measures of similarity, and (3) output of data and results in various formats. WordSurv also supports the COMPASS algorithm to aid in comparative reconstruction.

WordSurv is being developed through a partnership between the Computer and Systems Science Department at Taylor University and SIL International. Version 6 is the current stable version and version 7 is being alpha tested for release by the end of 2011. Details of version 7 are available here.

For detailed instructions about inputting word lists into WordSurv 6.0.2, see Inputting Data into WordSurv.

More information, release notes, documentation and downloads of this free application are available via SIL's Wordsurv pages.

Palmsurv

Is Wordsurv designed to enable word lists to be elicited directly onto a PalmOS handheld computer. For more information about Palmsurv, visit Sourceforge.

Wordcorr

Wordcorr is a computational tool that assists linguists in comparing natural languages systematically. It splits the work involved in applying the Comparative Method. The user identifies patterns in the data that may show common origin. The software keeps track of user judgments in a framework from which the user can draw evidence about the development of later languages from earlier ones. Wordcorr does not perform the analysis for the user; it organizes the evidence that the user considers relevant to the analysis.

For more, visit the Wordcorr website.

IPA Help

Use IPA Help to learn to hear IPA sounds by clicking their symbols in the IPA chart, to test recognition of phones and to hear IPA sounds in context with example data. Very useful for practicing particular sounds before carrying out word list data collection. You can isolate particular sound sets to focus on. More information from SIL International

Phonology Assistant

Helps users to keep track of phonetic data from the keyboard and from Speech Analyzer sound recordings. It uses standard IPA characters to index and display data. The program makes it easy to search lists for phonetic patterns in any number of segment combinations or positions. For more see SIL International.

Speech Analyzer

Speech Analyzer performs fundamental frequency, spectrographic and spectral analysis, and duration measurements on sound recordings. You can add phonemic, orthographic, tone, and gloss transcriptions to phonetic transcriptions in an interlinear format. Other features include slowed playback, repeat loops and overlays to assist with perception and mimicry of sounds.

For more see SIL International's Speech Analyzer page.

Epi Info

Quite a powerful piece of software that will do much more than a surveyor would ever need. But it can help you develop a questionnaire or form, customize the data entry process, and enter and analyze data. You can then produce statistics, tables, graphs, and maps from your data.

For more see the Epi Info page on the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.