Languages

By Melissa Lenox

But what has gone is also not nothing:
by the rule of the game something has gone.
Not people die but worlds die in them. (Yevtushenko)

     At any given moment, as I type this, I will hear the sporadic sounds of conversation in Spanish or the faint strains of Mariachi music, even though I am in a country where English is the dominant language; I am reminded that there is room enough for all. There is need for languages to be preserved and it is that need that digital preservation tries to fill.

     When one thinks of digital preservation, print items are the first things to come to mind; books, newspapers, letters, or journals. Seldom does one take into consideration, photographs, art, audio or video footage. In a world where boundaries are shrinking due to globalization, it may seem strange to care about endangered languages, or even the extinction of languages. It may even seem like it would help bring the world together by uniting us under few languages. Unfortunately, with language death, we lose the knowledge, the history, the stories, the relationships (between environments, foods, and peoples), the culture, and a people lose part of their identity. In an attempt to help save languages, language preservation uses various forms of technology to assist in preservation, and to aid in the ability to access the information.

Digital Preservation

     In looking at various websites, projects, and articles, a complicated picture emerges for libraries and information agencies. The preservation of endangered languages involves all aspects of digital preservation; from scanning deteriorating papers, the use of outdated technologies, and the delicate work of digitizing film and audio. The collection of data spans more than a century going back to works like Alfred L. Kroeber, who created the Archaeological and Ethnographic Survey of California in 1901. The issues facing digital preservation in this area are access (for humans and computers), Intellectual and Cultural Property rights (permissions and licenses), the need for protocols, and the race against time.

     Given the breadth of material acquired, it is no small feat to digitize them; an example can be found at the John Carter Brown Library. The Survey of California and Other Indian Languages (SCOIL) has some digitized content available through the California Language Archive; they have fieldwork notes (some scanned in as JPEGs), manuscripts (scanned as JPEGs), and audio recordings (converted to MP3 files).

Access

     It is necessary to provide the information in the databases in a variety of languages to allow for broader access, and to consider the many ways search terms are listed (various names and spellings), to be sensitive to the bias that a dominant language may bring. To this end, the projects work with linguists, and native speakers. The Endangered Languages database is available in seven languages, and is part of the project done by ELCat, “an academic project funded by the US National Science Foundation.” The goal of ELCat is to “update and correct status information about the endangered languages of the world.” (Endangered Languages Project FAQ). While the information is available in the dominant languages, when dealing with information of such a large scope, it is important to be as thorough as necessary, as evidenced by many of these sites, but especially the Ethnologue: Languages of the World site.

     There is no standard format for the creation of databases, the creation of Internet sites, or the format for the dissemination of online materials. With new technologies eclipsing the old, one finds that it becomes difficult to convert from floppy disks, and even the computer languages change (presenting their own issues as most are English based). While technology contributes to the loss of language through globalization, it can also be the bridge. The Electronic Metastructure for Endangered Languages Data (E-MELD) project seeks to address the issues of format. E-MELD has put forth suggestions for unifying the various formats the information takes under its “Best Practices.” (The E-MELD School of Best Practices in Digital Language Documentation, 2014). The goal of all of the projects is to connect the information with those who are seeking it, and those who can utilize it.

Intellectual and Cultural Property Rights

     Unlike newspapers, manuscripts, film, etc. the issue of ownership becomes a little tricky when it comes to the documentation of endangered languages. Many of the materials while authored by an individual, or individuals, do not belong to them (i.e. audio or video recordings). Permissions and licenses must be obtained for the materials to be widely disseminated beyond the holding institution. As a librarian, or information specialist, one must track down these permissions from tribal or cultural leaders/ groups. There are also some materials on file that the community may not want broadly available, religious rights, or ceremonies, and it is our responsibility to respect and protect these rights.

Protocols

     It is difficult to disseminate information without protocols. Whether it is the form the information takes via HTML5 or XML, or MP3, WAV, or MOV, the searchable language, searchable terms, or the interrelationship between families of languages, one must first respect the materials of the indigenous communities, and the regulations set in place by the various institutions. As pointed out in “Indigenous Librarianship,” protocols “serve as a compass for discussion, policy, and practice related to the care of Indigenous materials and to the development of relationships between Indigenous communities and individuals, and institutions” (Burns, 2009). 

TIME

     One cannot overemphasize the importance of time. It takes time to process, review, and digitize materials. The goal, and the hope, of the various endangered languages project is not just to capture, but to assist in the revitalization of these languages. The materials collected and shared are for the purpose of education, to help create teaching materials, dictionaries, databases, and to attract support for the endeavors. There are 2,580 known languages that are endangered, and there are 1,906 which have fewer than 10,000 speakers alive. (UNESCO's Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger).

Endangered Languages

     An endangered language is one in which: 

• Intergenerational language transmission [does not occur] 
• Absolute number of speakers [has dropped]
• Proportion of speakers within the total population [has diminished]
• Shifts in domains of language use [the dominant language takes over]
• Response to new domains and media [is lacking, new words are not being created]
• Availability of materials for language education and literacy [is lacking]
• Governmental and institutional language attitudes and policies including official status and use [are lacking]
• Community members’ attitudes toward their own language [is not positive]
• Amount and quality of documentation [is lacking] (Frequently Asked Questions on Endangered Languages, 2014)

     Languages become endangered for a variety of reasons. Generally, they are consumed by a dominant language, unwillingly. All of the preservation done has the potential to lead to revitalization programs, and due to the digital content of various media, libraries can also support these efforts. There has been a resurgence in some languages via the use of texting and hip hop, phone applications, and social media, like Facebook. Google has helped in the initial development of the Endangered Languages Project; National Geographic’s EnduringVoices offers assistance in the forms of Language Technology tool kits, as well as documenting, archiving, preserving, and creating in the hopes of stabilizing or growing an endangered language; and there are various other projects that are open, as well as information to be found within libraries.

     The collaboration between NEH and NSF in support of endangered language documentation funds the creation of analytic dictionaries, reference grammars, and digital archives of endangered language corpora which include audio and video data. (NEH and NSF Support Efforts to Preserve Languages Threatened by Extinction, 2013).

And You

     As future librarians or information specialists, it behooves us to support the endeavors of preservation, and revitalization when communities and budgets allow. The impact of the loss of a language may not be known for years or decades; the languages lost could give insight into cures or treatments for chronic diseases, they could fundamentally change the way that we do something, or they could present us with a missing link in information. It is possible for one person to bring about change; the archives are filled with them.

What are some steps people can take to get back in touch with their own ancestral languages?

     “Everyone can play a part in safeguarding language diversity, by showing interest and respect in other languages, and by realizing that as English speakers we do not have a monopoly on ideas. Every language contributes its unique genius and singular world view, which can be applied to the solution of common human problems... People can also volunteer, can support various non-profits like the Living Tongues Institute and the National Geographic EnduringVoices Project, and can help raise awareness about language loss.” - K. David Harrison (Howley, 2013)

References

About Enduring Voices. (2014). Retrieved from National Geographic : http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/enduring-voices/about/

Boettcher, K. (2013, June 6). 8 Endangered Languages That Could Soon Disappear. Retrieved from Mental Floss: http://mentalfloss.com/article/50468/8-endangered-languages-could-soon-disappear

Burns, K. D. (2009, December 09). Indigenous Librarianship. Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences(Third Edition). New York: Taylor and Francis. doi:http: //dx.doi.org/10.1081/E-ELIS3-120044735

Endangered Languages. (2014). Retrieved from Ethnologue: http://www.ethnologue.com/endangered-languages

Endangered Languages Project FAQ. (2014). Retrieved from Endangered Languages: http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/faq/#q35

Frequently Asked Questions on Endangered Languages. (2014). Retrieved from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Endangered Languages: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/endangered-languages/faq-on-endangered-languages/

Howley, A. (2013, June 24). Explores Journal: A Festival for the World’s Rarest Languages. Retrieved from National Geographic: http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/06/24/a-festival-for-the-worlds-rarest-languages/

NEH and NSF Support Efforts to Preserve Languages Threatened by Extinction. (2013, September 10). Retrieved from National Endowment for the Humanities: http://www.neh.gov/news/press-release/2013-09-10

Reitz, J. M. (2014, March). Online Dictionary for Library and Information Science ODLIS). Retrieved from ABC-Clio: http://www.abc-clio.com.proxy.lib.wayne.edu/ODLIS/searchODLIS.aspx

Riding the Waves or Caught in the Tide. (n.d.). Retrieved from Insights from the IFLA Trend Report: http://trends.ifla.org/files/trends/assets/insights-from-the-ifla-trend-report_v3.pdf

The E-MELD School of Best Practices in Digital Language Documentation. (2014). Retrieved from Electronic Metastructure for Endangered Languages Data: http://emeld.org/school/index.html

UNESCO's Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger. (n.d.). Retrieved from UNESCO: http://www.unesco.org/culture/languages-atlas/index.php?hl=en&page=atlasmap
Yevtushenko, Y. (n.d.). People. Retrieved from Poem Hunter: http://www.poemhunter.com/best-poems/yevgeny-yevtushenko/people-32/