Generate a linguistic map. The project's name is the Comparative Bantu On-Line Dictionary. Many, in return, are contributing the fruits of their research, some of it done decades ago and stored until now on deteriorating scraps of paper. From Tanzania, Father Andrew Halema, a Catholic missionary, has provided his 20,000-word dictionary of Mambwe. Graduate students interested in Bantu languages are contributing electronic dictionaries of Yao, Kalanga, Ndebele or Chichewa.
People are just thrilled.
It really feels like people were waiting for this to happen. International interest in the project is also reflected in its roster of participants and funders. On the other side of the Atlantic, the French government is providing funding through its Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and its Programme International de Cooperation Scientifique. Seed money for the project was supported by the France-Berkeley fund. The Berkeley linguistics department has a long history of projects in lexicography, or the study of dictionary making, dating back at least 50 years.