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<div>A very interesting post, that shows yet again that who pays the
piper can play discord!</div>
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<div>I hope that list members shared my reaction of cringing at the
imposition of inappropriate technological fixes to working with small
languages. While the claim is that languages are 'preserved', this may
not be the case if proper archival methods are ignored.</div>
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<div>Microsoft is not providing useful tools, but is providing its own
tools, which tie the user into deadend proprietary solutions. The
effort that goes into this work is not repaid by having enduring and
archivable language material, but rather is useful for a quick result
and then needs to be done again for future</div>
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<div>It is the case in many parts of the world that speakers of
endangered languages are looking to produce interactive software to
support the continued use of their languages.</div>
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<div>However, much of the work is not linguistically informed, and
does not pay attention to the sort of issues discussed by Steven Bird
and Gary Simons 2003.<font color="#000000"> Seven Dimensions of
Portability for Language Documentation and Description.<i>
Language</i> 79: 557-82</font></div>
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<div>We need to support these kinds of efforts with good use of new
technologies. Initiatives that are doing this work include AILLA,
DOBES, PARADISEC, ELDP and others (see the links here:
http://www.paradisec.org.au/Archive_Links.htm).</div>
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<div>With a little extra effort we can create good archival forms of
language material that can then be used for interactive tools, and
will still be there for generations to come.</div>
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<div>Nick</div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="-1" color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="-1" color="#000000">Project
Manager</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="-1"
color="#000000">PARADISEC</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="-1" color="#000000">Pacific And Regional
Archive for Digital Sources in Endangered Cultures</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="-1"
color="#000000">http://paradisec.org.au</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="-1" color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="-1" color="#19261D"><br></font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="-1"
color="#19261D">nicholas.thieberger@paradisec.org.au</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="-1" color="#19261D">Department of
Linguistics and Applied Linguistics</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="-1" color="#19261D">University of
Melbourne</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="-1" color="#19261D">Vic
3010</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="-1"
color="#19261D">Australia</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="-1" color="#19261D"><br></font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="-1" color="#19261D">Ph 61 (0)3 8344
5185</font></div>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>Using Technology to Preserve Endangered
Tribal Languages, Culture<br>
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/505883/<br>
<br>
Newswise ? Efforts to help preserve native languages through the use
of<br>
technology can be considered a "matter of life and death."
Thanks to<br>
the work of Native Americans from the Colorado River Indian Tribes<br>
(CRIT), the University of Arizona and funding from the Bill and
Melinda<br>
Gates Foundation, two more languages are closer to preservation.<br>
<br>
Susan Penfield, of the UA department of English has devoted more than
30<br>
years of her professional life to working with endangered
languages.<br>
More recently, she has been the principle investigator in a
project<br>
funded since January 2003 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
to<br>
train tribal members in the use of selected technologies that
support<br>
language revitalization.<br>
<br>
This grant has provided funds for the collaboration between the CRIT
and<br>
the UA. The CRIT Reservation is located on the Colorado River,
just<br>
south of Lake Havasu on the Arizona/California border. CRIT is home
to<br>
four culturally and linguistically different tribes: Mohave,<br>
Chemehuevi, Hopi and Navajo. Goals include the training of CRIT<br>
speakers of Mohave and Chemehuevi in the use of software and
Internet<br>
tools which will support preservation and instruction related to
these<br>
languages.<br>
<br>
Mohave, a Yuman language, is spoken by 33 fully fluent speakers at
CRIT.<br>
Most of these speakers are at least age 70 or older. Chemehuevi is<br>
spoken by only about 10 fluent speakers who are 60 years or older.<br>
<br>
"The need to take action on these two most critically
endangered<br>
languages of the four CRIT cultures was apparent," says Penfield.
While<br>
the preservation of native languages ultimately rests with the
members<br>
of the tribes themselves, Penfield and a group of specialists from
the<br>
UA have initiated a project to train tribal members from the CRIT<br>
communities in the use of computer software and other technologies
to<br>
help tribal members in this task.<br>
<br>
As part of the project, six fluent speakers of Mohave and
Chemehuevi<br>
learned how to record, preserve and digitally manipulate samples
of</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>their language with the help of special
software installed on the<br>
laptops purchased with the grant money. Participants were already<br>
involved with language work either as teachers, librarians or<br>
consultants who were available to train on the UA campus.<br>
<br>
One of the first sessions was on the use PowerPoint® and Audacity®
to<br>
create language lessons. Pictures from coloring books of Mohave
and<br>
Chemehuevi were scanned and transformed into electronic images
which<br>
were later combined with sound files created by the participants
with<br>
the help of Audacity®. These skills and language lessons encouraged
the<br>
native speakers to learn additional computer skills and to use
more<br>
complex software such as MaxAuthor, used for rarely taught
languages<br>
and the MOO developed at the UA for multi-user conference space<br>
accessed through the Internet.<br>
<br>
While the grant money is running out and funds are needed to
continue<br>
the work, Penfield says that the project "has met its goals of
training<br>
members from CRIT to develop a model for the use of
technology-enhanced<br>
language revitalization. I'm very grateful to the participants
from<br>
CRIT who interrupted their lives and work to train with us and who<br>
continue to fight for their languages. We learned a lot from them
and<br>
the experience of working together was enriching for
everyone."<br>
<br>
Penfield would like to establish a one-week computer camp on the
UA<br>
campus which would provide three units of credit in indigenous<br>
languages and technology. Also, more assistance is needed for<br>
additional hardware and software development. She says that "it's
vital<br>
to recognize that the field of indigenous languages and technology
is<br>
new and largely untapped."<br>
<br>
"Computers, video cameras and recorders can't save languages;
only<br>
people can do that," says Penfield, "but technology can
support<br>
revitalization efforts."<br>
<br>
Compiled from various sources and edited by Julieta Gonzalez, News<br>
Services.</blockquote>
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