45. Saving Languages Online - Part 2/6: It takes the entire village

In Part 1 of this series, I discussed the predicaments endangered languages face. Traditionally undermined by mainstream cultures, in today's world their biggest threat may be the Internet. But I also believe the Internet can be exploited to help a language and its cultural heritage survive, the focus of this essay.

In the endangered language communities that I have been involved with, there has often been a central meeting place, such as a lodge or longhouse, used for religious and social purposes, where decisions are made and information disseminated. These gathering places can be vibrant and critical to the life of a community. Why not transfer the concept to an online format by creating an "e-Community Center"?

The features of an e-Community Center are up to the indigenous group designing it and the resources they have to work with. Planning should involve a cross section of the community to ensure something of value for as many people as possible. The delivery platform must be accessible. Not everyone has a computer at home, but many have smartphones with a range of functions. Equally as important, the site should be interactive. An e-Community Center must contain more than photos of politicians shaking hands. It should allow for direct input and engage a broad spectrum of community members from youth to elders.

Based on experiences developing my own website, Sulantra.com, I can suggest the following tentative stages for creating an e-Community Center.

1. Brainstorm features of the "ideal" e-Community Center.

Create a planning group with a range of ages and interests to come up with tentative "zones" that have specific goals. Encourage members familiar with the Internet to suggest features they like on other sites. Spaces specific to the e-Community Center could include a "Bulletin Board" with updates on happenings in the area; an "Arts Center" for locals to display their artistic and performing art endeavours; an "Our Stories" area to encourage interaction between youth and their elders through the sharing of stories from the past and present; a "Language Trove" with structured courses in the heritage language, as well as an online glossary for inputting words and phrases collected from community elders; or a "Chat Room" where visitors can practice using the heritage language as they learn it. The ideas are as endless as the collective imagination of the planners.

2. Prioritize and confirm what is really feasible.

Your e-Community Center wish list will have to be prioritized as it will be impossible to simultaneously complete all features. Which spaces are crucial or would generate the most interest and traffic? Which features can be scheduled for later development? The brainstorming group can decide the order; however, a technician familiar with computer programming should be involved. What appears simple on paper could be a programming nightmare or even impossible.

3. Collect content.

The e-Community Center has endless possibilities for providing information and services to meet specific needs. Once key features have been decided, content that meets clear goals should be prepared. In my next blogpost, I will discuss in more depth possible content for the features mentioned in the first stage.

4. Design à la "shopping mall".

The next task is to organize a framework for the features you have chosen to make them accessible. For non-computer geeks (like me), one way to approach design is to think of your website like a shopping mall. Decide core features then group less critical functions around them. The latter should be easy to find for people with specific interests. There also needs to be room for expansion as you consider new features.

Professional web designers are useful; however, their references may be computer games, not cultural frames. Your website must be easy to navigate for EVERY member of the community. Have the designer identify family members intimidated by computers ("Could your grandmother navigate this website?") or, better still, introduce the designer to actual people. With computer novices in mind, your designer should create a more accessible venue.


5. Construct the site.

Building of a comprehensive website where a heritage language community can "gather" may seem daunting. Obviously, a technician is necessary to create a website that is easy to maintain and serves everyone. He or she should understand the community's needs then investigate existing sites for features that can be adapted or used in their entirety (e.g. as an affiliated site) to meet specific goals. There is no need to re-invent the wheel if Facebook or YouTube can meet your needs. You can customize later when you have the time and funds.

One final point is that your technician must be willing to give up the reins and train local replacements to maintain the e-Community Center. Ideally, he or she should remain available for consultations, but responsibility for managing the website belongs to the community.

The creation of an e-Community Center requires dedicated efforts and a budget. Some indigenous communities have access to heritage funds; others are on their own and must approach outside entities for resources. With expertise in funding proposals, universities can be a promising route for accessing funds. And with a pool of talent on staff at your local university, combining advisors from Anthropology, Linguistics, and Computer Science departments can make for an exceptional website. On the other hand, don't let the academics take over. It's fine to get by with a little help from friends, but make sure your e-Community Center is truly yours.

The good news is that, once a website has been created, it should be relatively inexpensive to maintain and build upon. You will have created something valuable and enduring for your community and, if you are willing to share, other communities can benefit from your innovation and expertise.

(If you are really a fool for language, check out my language learning website at http://en.sulantra.com/ with courses from and to English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese,Turkish, Bulgarian, Thai, German, Korean, Portuguese and Italian!)

44. Saving Languages Online - Part 1/6: "e" for Endangered

Depending on your definition and when you are reading this article, the total number of languages in the world is between 6000 and 7000 with many endangered languages on the verge of disappearing. In a recent issue of National Geographic magazine, it was pointed out that one language is lost every two weeks.

The disappearance of a language means not just the loss of words, but of a culture and the knowledge it contains. It is a tragedy for all of us. Many communities are taking aggressive action to stop what others see as inevitable – the loss of their ancestral language. Can the Internet play a role in a language’s salvation? I very much believe it can.

Why is this loss of languages happening at such a terrifying speed? In many countries, a combination of past and present oppression can be identified, where a colonial or mainstream culture decides the endangered language hinders development and should be discouraged. Speakers of non-mainstream languages are punished for speaking anything other than the official vernacular with social walls set up to weaken or, in the worst scenarios, completely destroy the “non-official” language. Want a job? Then stop speaking your mother tongue.

In today's world perhaps the greatest menace to these endangered languages is the Internet. For speakers of non-mainstream languages, it is virtually impossible to take advantage of the vast quantity of information available online. If you do not understand a major language, particularly English, you are cut off.

I have lived and/or worked with speakers of Iban in Malaysia (see entries 13  and 14 ), Cree and Haida in Canada (see entry15), Mayan in Mexico's Yucatan, Kosraen in Micronesia (see entry 43), and Welsh in the UK (see entry 6). These are all unique languages with vibrant, proud cultures that should be supported and strengthened, not "phased out" by languages with a larger number of native speakers. Can the Internet come to the rescue?

Too often online efforts involve the cataloging of what was, rather than envisioning what could be. It is critical to retrieve the knowledge that community elders possess, but equally as vital to incorporate this knowledge, both cultural and linguistic, into a format that is accessible and presented in a way that attracts the youth of a community. If we truly wish to save a language, younger generations must be enticed to join the effort.

The Internet can be exploited to preserve culture and develop communication skills in an endangered language. Online technology is constantly improving and accessible to a broader base of users through cheap and user-friendly delivery devices. The use of smartphones is becoming ubiquitous as people of all ages discover opportunities to learn anytime and anywhere. Educational online products have the potential to reach a massive audience. All that is required is some hardware and an engaging website.

Besides helping the local community, the Internet also has the potential to create greater awareness of a people and their culture in the larger online world. More serious travelers, scholars and others could very well be interested in learning a native language of the Arctic or Amazon, especially if they can access materials from their mother tongue. The technology is there to build a delivery platform that allows direct access from one language to another. I know because we have done this with my website, Sulantra.com.

But the picture is not quite so rosy. Unfortunately for language learners, most language training websites just don't make the grade. Free sites tend to be piecemeal, containing lists of vocabulary or "key phrases" presented out of context. There is no cohesive study approach, nor serious attempt to prepare users for communication.

Websites offering structured language courses also have pitfalls. Using a carefully constructed "teaser" as bait, they lure users into paying a monthly fee for a questionable product that can disappoint quickly. Too often site designers devote their efforts to the package, not the product, essentially uploading a textbook with glossy visuals, buzzers and bells, but very little innovation in terms of the training approach.

This is a shame since so much is possible online. Imitating a textbook format with topic-based lessons containing reams of vocabulary and grammar rules to memorize just doesn’t work anymore. Online audiences have a limited attention span. Users want to be entertained as well as educated and have little patience for a boring format with results that are not soon evident.

For endangered languages, the situation is even more disheartening as texts to upload may not even exist. Companies providing online language training products focus their attention on major languages in order to reach a massive audience (think English, Chinese and Spanish) or languages whose speakers have pockets deep enough to cover ongoing monthly fees (e.g. German and Japanese). Endangered languages don't even appear on the educational radar. There is no place at the online table for them.

But this needn't be the status quo. The great thing about the Internet is that niche users can be catered to. Build a website and they will come. Online marketers refer to this approach as targeting "the long tail". Target smaller potential audiences - those scattered in the tail of the client comet - since they will find you with the right key words in place for search engines.

This is good news for endangered language communities. By taking matters into their own hands and aggressively creating an online presence, I believe speakers of indigenous languages can change the tide. By creating an electronic "meeting place" that aligns with the aspirations of the community, caters in an entertaining format to their youth, and even attracts "outsiders" who are curious and want to learn more about a people and their culture, indigenous language groups can entertain, educate and endure.

In my next entry, I will discuss the concept of an online meeting place, or "e-community center", that disseminates information and provides easily accessible services, including language training and cultural resources, for an endangered language community.

(If you are really a fool for language, check out my language learning website at http://en.sulantra.com/ with courses from and to English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese,Turkish, Bulgarian, Thai, German, Korean, Portuguese and Italian!)