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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I am going to hazard a guess that projects
will do better if they provide a Technology Improvement hook. After all, people
like to work on the things that interest them most, and Gates == Microsoft ==
Technology. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>The other thing that causes problems with
projects is the vast difference in Time to Complete. Technology likes to move
very fast. People don’t always. Technology likes to try lots of different
options, see how things look lots of different ways. Do things nobody has done
before. People don’t always. I know a lot of the people I have worked
with will argue for hours, sometimes days and weeks, over the 1 right way to
say something. Things would move faster and accomplish more if ALL the ways
were included. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>This One-Way-Only is not limited to
Indigenous groups: When I was a consultant, lots of people in commerce,
banking, the stock market, engineering, and construction thought their view was
the Only View. It was only when they found themselves left out of the loop that
they began to open their eyes and see that there were lots of perspectives and that
all were valid, operational, and necessary to keep the overall system working
well. You don’t see these fine and often sophisticated details until you
have to Reproduce a System Exactly in Software. Designers become hard-bitten
because if it doesn’t work, the fact that John, or Sam or someone told
you how it works doesn’t place the responsibility for fixing what doesn’t
work on John, or Sam or someone. YOU, the designer, who Believed rather than
verifying, are still responsible. And guess what: You don’t get to go
home until it IS fixed. So you learn. You learn to develop a sense of balance,
of smooth functioning, and you watch how data and information moves so everyone
has what they need to do what they need to do. And then, joy of joy, you get to
get on that plane and fly home. Dog, Significant Other, bed, porch, kitchen. .
. . Home. Is there any other place like it? <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Mia <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'> Indigenous
Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU] <b><span
style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Susan Penfield<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Saturday, July 01, 2006
11:40 AM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> ILAT@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> Re: [ILAT] Buffet, Gates,
& the future of linguistic diversity</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>All,<br>
I can certainly confirm what Phil adds here -- and I have shared these ideas
with my contact at the Gates Foundation. Like many private foundations, the
Gates Foundation supports projects with a particular focus in a rotating
fashion. Their interest in Native American concerns has been limited to tribal
libraries In our case, we were able to cover training in language-learning
technology by orchestrating an affiliation with a tribal library. However, they
have not yet been interested in broadly supporting language revitalization nor
any language-related projects that are not focused on tribal libraries. <br>
<br>
Best,<br>
Susan<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=gmailquote><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>On 7/1/06, <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>phil cash
cash</span></b> <<a href="mailto:cashcash@email.arizona.edu">cashcash@email.arizona.edu</a>>
wrote:</span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Yes, I agree Don. The Gates Foundation has had technology
outreach<br>
programs targeting native communities, however, it seems these programs<br>
were short lived and did not continue for one reason or another.<br>
<br>
I do believe however that, at least from the perspective of Gates-funded <br>
projects carried out here in the SW several years back, that language<br>
was and is a compelling component for any community development<br>
project. Tribes certainly made this an important issue.<br>
<br>
Based on my own experience on working on a Gates-funded project, I can <br>
say that these projects were extremely valuable and rewarding. I<br>
surely hope to see the continuance of community-oriented technology<br>
development in the future coming from the Gates Foundation!<br>
<br>
Phil Cash Cash (cayuse/nez perce) <br>
UofA, ILAT list mg<br>
<br>
<br>
Quoting d_z_o <<a href="mailto:dzo@BISHARAT.NET">dzo@BISHARAT.NET</a>>:<br>
<br>
> With the news of Warren Buffet's donation of most of an estimated $44<br>
> billion to the Gates Foundation (GF), and remembering that the GF has <br>
> funded some programs for endangered languages, one wonders whether any<br>
> of this new mass of capital can be directed for use for language<br>
> revitalization and linguistic diversity. Is not just a question
of <br>
> whether some more money can be allocated for specific projects, but<br>
> rather whether resources can be found to develop and implement<br>
> long-term programs for the development of minority
languages. There <br>
> are a number of important but relatively small programs to assist in<br>
> documentation of endangered languages, and there are sometimes<br>
> programs in individual countries to promote teaching of and<br>
> development of literature in certain languages, but there does not <br>
> seem to be any overarching strategy involving a range of actors (or<br>
> "stakeholders") involved in or concerned with language
preservation<br>
> and development.<br>
><br>
> At this time, when we read so often about about the current and <br>
> expected rates of language extinction, when many countries and<br>
> communities lack the resources to plan and manage for their own<br>
> linguistic diversity, when many children especially of minority groups <br>
> do not have access to formal education of any sort let alone in their<br>
> maternal language, and when older people in minority language<br>
> communities pass away taking with them knowledge that cannot be<br>
> replaced (the proverbial "when an elder dies, a library burns"),
while<br>
> at the same time we have the resources, both monetary and<br>
> technological, to record, manipulate, produce, and instruct in any <br>
> language, there is an urgent need to develop bold, coherent and long<br>
> term strategies.<br>
><br>
> Basically we seem to be faced with a window of opportunity of limited<br>
> duration, and an imperative to act promptly. The GF even with this <br>
> added capital, is not the only organization that can assist in this<br>
> area, so it shouldn't be singled out. There are other
organizations<br>
> that can and should contribute as well – philanthropic, national, <br>
> intergovernmental, etc. However, given the amount of resources
now at<br>
> the GF's disposal, and its implied link via its founder to information<br>
> technology (which has a great potential to help work language <br>
> development and revitalization), it certainly is a logical starting<br>
> place. And since this story is big in the news at this moment, maybe<br>
> it deserves some focused discussion in order to produce a strong <br>
> policy proposal?<br>
><br>
> Don Osborn<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><br>
<br clear=all>
<br>
-- <br>
Susan D. Penfield, Ph.D.<br>
<br>
<br>
Department of
English(Primary) <br>
American Indian Language Devel.Institute <br>
Department of Linguistics <br>
Second Language Acquistion &Teaching<br>
Ph.D. Program<br>
Dept. of Language,Reading and Culture<br>
The Southwest Center (Research)<br>
<br>
Phone for messages: (520) 621-1836 <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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