2019:Languages/How to sustain your language online
 | This is an Accepted submission for the Languages space at Wikimania 2019. |
Description
Perhaps the greatest misconception about linguistic diversity is that the Internet has contributed to its decline by further amplifying English, Spanish, and other mass media languages. However, the Internet has expanded language preservation and reclamation by expanding media access and creation, making it possible to use minoritized languages on a daily basis and promote them in a global context without external support. However, despite the rise in Internet language activism, online equality remains elusive. In fact, no more than 2% of all languages have full digital support. This session will propose a comprehensive framework for online language equality, providing an actionable framework for ‘digitizing’ your language. It will have two parts:
- A presentation outlining three case studies of minoritized language communities leveraging the Internet to advance langua ge preservation and reclamation: 1) the Tunica language (USA), which is being revived by its community after initially going dormant in 1948, 2) the Aragonese language (Spain), which has tripled in size over the past three decades, and 3) the Cornish language (United Kingdom), which has grown significantly with the introduction of online language spaces.
- A guided, open discussion about language diversity online, which will encourage attendees to think about what they want to see for their native or ancestral languages online. The objective will be to draw universal lessons about linguistic diversity from the case studies presented in part 1. During this portion, attendees will be encouraged to think about how inclusion in Wikimedia projects can feature in the ‘full suite’ of digital support for language communities.
This talk will build on Daniel Bögre Udell’s Wikimania 2018 presentation in Cape Town, where he introduced the work of Wikitongues.
Relationship to the theme
This session will address the conference theme — Wikimedia, Free Knowledge and the Sustainable Development Goals — in the following manner: Digital inclusion for all languages is central both to Quality Education and Reduced Inequalities (SDG 4, 10). Additionally, developing actionable and accessible roadmaps for digital linguistic inclusion is timely with the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages upon us. It will also make Wikimedia stronger, because opening the doors of online language preservation to all communities is the only way to safeguard the sum of human knowledge, accessible only in every language in the world.
Session outcomes
At the end of the session, the following will have been abecause:
Attendees will:
- Broaden their knowledge of the movement to sustain global language diversity
- Better understand the Internet’s role in language preservation and reclamation
- Leave with actionable steps toward participating in the digital inclusion of their languages
Session Leader(s)
Daniel Bögre Udell is a TED Resident and the Co-Founder of Wikitongues, which expands access to language preservation, especially the documentation, transcription, translation and archiving of video oral histories. Wikitongues is a member of UNESCO’s media coalition for the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages. The WMF-affiliated Wikitongues User Group broadens language content on Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Commons.
Username
Affiliation/country
United States, Wikitongues User Group, Wikitongues Co-Founder and Director
E-mail contact
daniel@wikitongues.org
Session type
Each Space at Wikimania 2019 will have specific format requests. The program design prioritises submissions which are future-oriented and directly engage the audience. The format of this submission is a:
This session will combine elements of three format types. Part 1 will adhere more closely to a lecture format while Part 2 will blend the workshop and roundtable discussion formats.
- Lightning talk
- Computer-based training
- Discussion-based training
- Workshop to identify and try to solve problem
- Roundtable discussion forum
- Panel with audience Question & Answer session
- Lecture
- Other
Requirements
The session will work best with these conditions:
- Room:
Any type of room with projector
- Audience:
20-30, those who come from ‘the other 98%’ of language communities or those who work in the language diversity space - linguistics, translation, and language tech
- Recording:
Yes, recording allowed