Question on assessing technology for endangered language communities

[Chun Jimmy Huang]

Last year I was asked by the Chinese Department here at UF to 
participate in a Second Life project. But really all I was asked 
to do was to record some dialogues for a virtual Chinese character 
IN ENGLISH. So the project isn't even for SLA: supposedly, English 
speakers can go to the virtual Second China and engage in English 
conversations with the virtual Chinese people and learn about 
their culture (how is this possible?! and I am not even 
Chinese!!). And the program doesn't seem really "interactive," 
either, for all the recorded dialogues are fixed. But the biggest 
flaw, in my opinion, is the presumption of a singular Chinese 
culture, not unlike the myth of "an" American culture... yep, long 
live nationalism!

Still, I think Second Life or other virtual reality programs do 
have the potential for indigenous language continuation. As Phil 
said, the challenge is how to create a culturally appropriate 
"context." So again, while technology is convenient, its success 
depends on people's mind and attitude, and understanding of 
"culture".

Anyone interested in Second China can access it here:
http://cero11.cise.ufl.edu/~webmaster/index.html

Jimmy


On Thu Nov 05 12:56:54 EST 2009, phil cash cash 
<cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU> wrote:

> Sometime ago, there has been interest expressed to me offline
> concerning the use
> of SecondLife, a virtual user environment, to support language
> learning.?? I am
> not a SecondLife user (no time!) but like most technology there 
> is the
> challenge of how one creates "context" for learning or for
> participation.?? The
> limitations may appear obvious at the outset but has anybody 
> addressed (e.g.
> discussions or thru research) how virtual reality may be used as 
> an endangered
> language learning option?! ?? This seems like the next step in 
> the not so
> distant future...
> Phil
> ??
> ??
>