Disappearing dialects endanger some oral traditions and their cultural heritage.
Language is the conduit of culture, distinctive accents and unique colloquialisms unite people to their past and effect how we see, interpret and engage with one another. It is therefore incumbent of tradition, to prevent the loss of language to unified translation as this erodes a nations heritage.
As the new generation rapidly embraces a version of english along with abbreviations thereof, others hope to hold on to their heritage as we explore with Month’s Mission!
Saving the Lost Languages
Closely monitoring the loss of languages is SIL (Summer Institute of Linguistics, Inc): a faith-based nonprofit organization committed to serving language communities worldwide as they build capacity for sustainable language development. SIL does this primarily through research, translation, training and materials development (founded in 1934). SIL works with ethnolinguistic minority communities as they build their capacity for the sustainable development of their own languages. Language development is the series of ongoing planned actions that a language community takes to ensure that its language continues to serve its changing social, cultural, political, economic and spiritual needs and goals. SIL’s expertise related to language development includes training and consulting for activities such as linguistic analysis, orthography and writing systems development, literature development and multilingual education and literacy.
Innovative Initiatives from SIL
Net.Lang: Towards the Multilingual Cyberspace. This collection of articles explores strategies for improving Internet accessibility for speakers of all languages. Among the contributing researchers is Dr. Maik Gibson of SIL.
Graphite, the “smart font” system designed to handle complex scripts.
The FieldWorks software suite provides the tools researchers need to process linguistic and cultural data. Download the latest version.
ScriptSource provides information on the world’s writing systems and a platform for collaboration for font developers. Check out new features, including real-time discussions.
Subscribe to monthly e-newsletters from SIL International Publications and receive offers for discounts on selected titles.
National Geographic has been involved with the documentation and preservation of cultures around the world since 1888. Today, their commitment to the conservation of culture continues – through the Enduring Voices Project. The Enduring Voices Project represents a partnership between National Geographic Mission Programs and the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages.
Innovative Initiatives from National Geographic
Talking Dictionaries, giving listeners around the world a chance to hear some of the most little-known sounds of human speech.
Several communities are now offering the online record of their language to be shared by any interested person around the world. While you probably won’t walk away from these Talking Dictionaries knowing how to speak a new language, you will encounter fascinating and beautiful sounds–forms of human speech you’ve never heard before–and through them, get a further glimpse into the rich diversity of culture and experience that humans have created in every part of the globe.
Revitalisation: The Enduring Voices Project, where invited, will assist indigenous communities in their efforts to revitalize and maintain their threatened languages. By using appropriate written materials, video, still photography, audio recorders, and computers with customized language software, as well as Internet-accessible archiving where possible, the Enduring Voices Project is helping empower communities to preserve ancient traditions with modern technology.
Language Technology Kits have been given to a dozen communities, along with follow-up training and capacity building.
How you can help save the Lost Languages
Adopt a Language: Living Tongues has many ongoing documentation projects currently taking place around the world. They need your help to sustain these projects. Their mission is to record vanishing languages as well as create state-of-the-art digital audio-visual materials in collaboration with speakers of endangered language.
Volunteer: Living Tongues will be accepting new volunteers for this coming Autumn (September 17 – December 14, 2012) and will post the application form online on Monday, August 13th, 2012.
Fundraise for recording equipment and computers for 8 indigenous language activists in India, Papua New Guinea, Chile and Peru.
Support National Geographic’s Enduring Voices Project.
Learn about Language Loss and help educate others – through cultural exchange we can help preserve the rich diversity of human heritage.
