SubmissionNumber#=%=#24 FinalPaperTitle#=%=#The Missing Middle: Language Documentation Needs Better Infrastructure, Not Better Models ShortPaperTitle#=%=# NumberOfPages#=%=#12 CopyrightSigned#=%=#Luke Gessler JobTitle#==# Organization#==# Abstract#==#Despite decades of progress in human language technology (HLT) and growing research interest in endangered languages, practical uptake of HLT in documentary linguistics workflows remains rare. In this opinion piece, we report on a structured dialogue among approximately twenty academics convened to diagnose why this gap persists. Across all topics, we identify a recurring structural problem, which we call the missing middle: despite the existence of many potentially useful HLTs, the connective infrastructure necessary to make them genuinely accessible to linguists and language communities does not exist. We report the details of our discussion and make four specific recommendations for how those active in language documentation and HLT research might orient their future work. Author{1}{Firstname}#=%=#Luke Author{1}{Lastname}#=%=#Gessler Author{1}{Username}#=%=#lgessler Author{1}{Orcid}#=%=#https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4996-9045 Author{1}{Email}#=%=#lgessler@iu.edu Author{1}{Affiliation}#=%=#Indiana University Bloomington Author{2}{Firstname}#=%=#Antonios Author{2}{Lastname}#=%=#Anastasopoulos Author{2}{Username}#=%=#aanastas Author{2}{Orcid}#=%=# Author{2}{Email}#=%=#antonis@gmu.edu Author{2}{Affiliation}#=%=#George Mason University Author{3}{Firstname}#=%=#Sandra Author{3}{Lastname}#=%=#Auderset Author{3}{Orcid}#=%=# Author{3}{Email}#=%=#sandrauderset@gmail.com Author{3}{Affiliation}#=%=#University of Bern Author{4}{Firstname}#=%=#Timotheus Author{4}{Lastname}#=%=#Bodt Author{4}{Orcid}#=%=# Author{4}{Email}#=%=#tim.bodt@tcd.ie Author{4}{Affiliation}#=%=#Trinity College Dublin Author{5}{Firstname}#=%=#Shobhana Author{5}{Lastname}#=%=#Chelliah Author{5}{Orcid}#=%=# Author{5}{Email}#=%=#schellia@iu.edu Author{5}{Affiliation}#=%=#Indiana University Bloomington Author{6}{Firstname}#=%=#Sebastien J. Author{6}{Lastname}#=%=#Christian Author{6}{Username}#=%=#alterfero Author{6}{Orcid}#=%=# Author{6}{Email}#=%=#alterfero@gmail.com Author{6}{Affiliation}#=%=#University of French Polynesia Author{7}{Firstname}#=%=#Maxime Author{7}{Lastname}#=%=#Fily Author{7}{Username}#=%=#maxime-fily Author{7}{Orcid}#=%=#https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8292-5358 Author{7}{Email}#=%=#maxime.fily@tutanota.com Author{7}{Affiliation}#=%=#INALCO Author{8}{Firstname}#=%=#Santiago Author{8}{Lastname}#=%=#Herrera Author{8}{Username}#=%=#sherrera Author{8}{Orcid}#=%=# Author{8}{Email}#=%=#herrera@lipn.univ-paris13.fr Author{8}{Affiliation}#=%=#Universite Sorbonne Paris Nord, LIPN, CNRS, UMR 7030 Author{9}{Firstname}#=%=#Eva Author{9}{Lastname}#=%=#Huber Author{9}{Username}#=%=#eva.huber Author{9}{Orcid}#=%=#0000-0002-9032-1806 Author{9}{Email}#=%=#eva.scheel-huber@uni-koeln.de Author{9}{Affiliation}#=%=#University of Cologne Author{10}{Firstname}#=%=#Sharid Author{10}{Lastname}#=%=#Loaiciga Author{10}{Username}#=%=#sharidloaiciga Author{10}{Orcid}#=%=#0000-0002-1204-0400 Author{10}{Email}#=%=#sharid.loaiciga@gu.se Author{10}{Affiliation}#=%=#University of Gothenburg Author{11}{Firstname}#=%=#Marieke Author{11}{Lastname}#=%=#Meelen Author{11}{Username}#=%=#meelenm Author{11}{Orcid}#=%=#0000-0003-0395-8372 Author{11}{Email}#=%=#mm986@cam.ac.uk Author{11}{Affiliation}#=%=#University of Cambridge Author{12}{Firstname}#=%=#Robert Author{12}{Lastname}#=%=#Östling Author{12}{Username}#=%=#robost Author{12}{Orcid}#=%=#https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6027-4156 Author{12}{Email}#=%=#robert@ling.su.se Author{12}{Affiliation}#=%=#Department of Linguistics, Stockholm University Author{13}{Firstname}#=%=#Alexis Author{13}{Lastname}#=%=#Palmer Author{13}{Username}#=%=#apalmer Author{13}{Orcid}#=%=#https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5071-3090 Author{13}{Email}#=%=#alexis.palmer@colorado.edu Author{13}{Affiliation}#=%=#University of Colorado Boulder Author{14}{Firstname}#=%=#Eline Author{14}{Lastname}#=%=#Visser Author{14}{Orcid}#=%=# Author{14}{Email}#=%=#eline.visser@lingfil.uu.se Author{14}{Affiliation}#=%=#Uppsala University ========== èéáğö