Menkayonta is a program that helps to build collaborative databases for linguistic fieldwork and language documentation. It allows multiple researchers to share, annotate, gloss, and analyze linguistic data. The program was made to facilitate Open Science principles and encourages transparent, collaborative, and ethically grounded fieldwork practices.
Menkayonta keeps a local copy of your data on your computer and syncs it with a shared database online. You can work online or offline, and your data will update automatically when you reconnect. The result is a consistent and searchable dataset. The program organizes forms, glosses, and metadata in a single system designed for analysis. It allows fieldwork to be distributed across collaborators while maintaining a shared and coherent structure.
Menkayonta is currently in the early stages of testing. We are trying to identify and resolve issues. We welcome collaborators who are interested in helping us develop and refine the system. For more information about the program, visit our wiki page.
Those interested in contributing can download the current beta version of the app via the link below. This version of the app is designed for testing and exploration. Feedback from users is essential at this stage. The download is password protected (for now), but you can get a password by joining our google group .
A quick look at how data is entered, organized, and shared.
These example screenshots were all taken in darkmode.
Use an email address, real or fake, to set up a unique user id.
The adventure begins by starting a new project through the file tab at the top. Fill out the project name and the associated online database location.
Easily enter new data!
You can import a json database from Dative.
Easily search your database for certain words, glosses or translations.
Clone a search tab and then compare two searches side by side.
Costom arrange your tabs to suit your preference.
Menkayonta supports collaborative, structured, and flexible linguistic data work.
Store forms, glosses, and metadata in a unified and consistent format.
Work with multiple researchers on a shared dataset.
Work without an internet connection and sync automatically when you reconnect.
Quickly find and explore data across the entire dataset.
Annotate and gloss linguistic data in a structured environment.
Adapt the database structure to different languages and research needs.
If you are interested in collaborating or would like access to the beta version, you should join our google group for more information.
Email: Google Group
Wiki: Project Documentation