2023:Program/Submissions/Wikitongues: Preserving Language Diversity and Empowering Communities through Language Documentation - VPKMXH
Title: Wikitongues: Preserving Language Diversity and Empowering Communities through Language Documentation
Speakers:
Tochi Precious
Tochi Precious has been a Wikimedian since 2017. She’s currently a founding member of the Igbo Wikimedians User Group as well as a Wikimedian in Residence.
Rohini Lakshané
Username: Rohini
Room:
Start time:
End time:
Type: Panel
Track: Community Initiatives
Submission state: submitted
Duration: 60 minutes
Do not record: false
Presentation language: en
Abstract & description[edit source]
Abstract[edit source]
Did you know that half the world's languages could disappear in a generation, erasing half of all human knowledge? Did you also know that around the world, people are fighting back? In this session, we would be showcasing how the Wikitongues community has brought more Language diversity to the movement by helping a number of people safeguard and document their languages.
Description[edit source]
Language is a fundamental part of cultural heritage. When a language disappears, a wealth of knowledge, traditions, and cultural practices can be lost. By safeguarding and revitalizing languages, we can preserve cultural diversity and maintain a connection to our collective past. As people in the Open Knowledge ecosystem, Language is a carrier of knowledge, and many languages contain valuable information about local ecosystems, medicinal practices, and traditional knowledge. By documenting languages, we can preserve this knowledge for future generations. Overall, safeguarding, revitalizing, and documenting languages is critical for preserving cultural heritage, promoting diversity and tolerance, strengthening community identity, preserving knowledge, and supporting cognitive development. The aim of this session is to showcase how Wikitongues safeguards language documentation, expands access to mother-tongue resources, and directly supports language revitalization projects thereby bringing more language diversity to the movement. One of the speakers will also shine a light on her experience of working with an indigenous community that speaks multiple dialects of the same indigenous language and is spread across a vast geographical area.
Further details[edit source]
Qn. How does your session relate to the event themes: Diversity, Collaboration Future?
Language plays a critical role in promoting diversity, facilitating collaboration, and shaping the future. As a global community, Language is a key aspect of cultural diversity. It reflects the unique perspectives, values, and beliefs of different groups of people. When we embrace linguistic diversity, we are better able to understand and appreciate the richness of different cultures. Effective collaboration often requires effective communication, and language is a key component of this. When people from different linguistic backgrounds come together to work on a project, they must be able to understand one another and effectively convey their ideas. This requires a willingness to listen, learn, and adapt to different communication styles which is what our community and presentation strives to achieve.
Qn. What is the experience level needed for the audience for your session?
Everyone can participate in this session
Qn. What is the most appropriate format for this session?
Onsite in Singapore
Remote online participation, livestreamed- Remote from a satellite event
- Hybrid with some participants in Singapore and others dialing in remotely
- Pre-recorded and available on demand
