Language Revitalization Research Articles

Decolonizing the Library: Considering the Movement in the Irish Colonial Contexts

Abstract Decolonization is a concept which has been rapidly gaining traction in the library community, particularly in England, the United States, and Australia. This article addresses the question: “what does decolonizing the library look like in the Irish colonial contexts?” The role which libraries play in reckoning with colonial pasts cannot be understated. This paper will explore what decolonization can look like through Irish libraries both north and south of the border. This will be examined through Irish language revitalization, the presence of oral histories in library collections, and how libraries respond to underserved communities. This study also establishes areas for further research in this nascent field as well as outlining practical steps to implement the concept of decolonizing the library in the Irish contexts. Drawing on qualitative data pulled from interviews this paper will offer the latest information on the Irish library landscape and its relation to the broader decolonization movement. This paper aims to demonstrate the value of using the decolonization framework to address the colonial past which has impacted the way in which the information services function in modern day Ireland and pave the way towards an inclusive and equitable future.

Reimagining Kinship Systems and Networks:

Aboriginal people in Australia continue to endure the ongoing effects of 250 years of colonisation. However, the social and ontological basis of their Kinship Systems and networks highlights their resilience and resistance against western hierarchies and ideologies. Kinship Systems and networks represent the relationships between culture and nature and do not distinguish between the human and non-human world. The basis of the Kinship Systems and networks extends seamlessly beyond the human into the Ancestral and spiritual realms. As part of the creation process, Land was created first, followed by people and then languages belonging to the Land. Languages are living entities, connecting people with their Country, Ancestors and culture while transmitting intergenerational knowledges within and across thousands of generations. It is impossible to separate one from the other. These entities coexist through and beyond notions of space and time. This inseparable relationship between Land, language, and the rights of Aboriginal People forms the cornerstone of their activism. For example, Aboriginal activists in the Black Lives Matter movement in Australia fight for racial [human] rights and environmental justice consistent with their symbiotic relationship. Drawing on interviews carried out in early 2023 with Aboriginal activists engaged in the revival of languages and Land rights, this paper will examine how the relationships between sustainability, care for Country and language are articulated in and through Kinship systems and networks. It will explain the deep reciprocity, identified by activists, focusing on environmental care and sustainability of Country, language revival and social justice efforts.

Life cycle of Greko

The text has been written in honour of the memory of Domenico Nucera of Gallicianò, who was known as Milinari (the miller) and to emphasize the key role of his generation for the Greko language and culture revitalization movement. Milinari was an extraordinary figure and at the same time a crucial factor for the preservation and revitalization of the Greko language and culture. His life reflects the plight of many members in the Greco community in Greko-speaking Calabria, Italy. Although he was not an official activist, he collaborated with all organizations and groups whose goal has been preservation and revitalisation of the Greco heritage in South Calabria. His recent activities were connected to the summer school of Greko language and culture and its 8th edition, which took place in Bova Marina on August 1-7, 2022, was dedicated to his memory.

Memory and motivation in language revitalization practice

AbstractThis article examines the relationship between collective memory and individual second‐language (L2) learning motivation as articulated in a qualitative research study with language revitalization practitioners. These practitioners learn and teach their languages and engage in other activities in order to bring Indigenous or ancestral languages into new use following a period of loss. In this study, 28 revitalization practitioners from eight language communities were interviewed about why they choose to learn their languages, what challenges they face, and what supports them in their practice. Interviews were first analyzed using inductive thematic analysis and were subsequently analyzed deductively to engage with research on the functions of autobiographical memory. Findings show how collective memories are made salient in the language revitalization experience, how individuals grapple with painful memories of what their communities and families endured as a result of colonization, and how these collective memories impact individual L2 motivation. These findings illustrate the importance of collective memory in theorizing L2 motivation in order to enhance understanding of context, dismantle overly individualistic interpretations of L2 motivation models, and open avenues for critically engaging with historical trauma and resistance.

Why vernacular language planning matters for preserving Acehnese languages?

Language planning policy is essential for language preservation, yet research rarely addresses vernacular or local languages specifically. This study examines how vernacular language planning policies can contribute to the preservation and revitalization of local languages, focusing on the case of Aceh, a province in Indonesia with a rich variety of local languages requiring preservation efforts. The study’s primary goal is to identify an effective framework for vernacular language planning in Aceh that can serve as a practical reference for language policymakers, planners, and researchers in Indonesia and beyond. Utilizing a systematic review method, this research analyzes literature on language vitality, endangerment, revitalization, and planning policy. Key findings reveal a newly developed vernacular language planning framework tailored to the current vitality status of Acehnese languages, offering a suitable model for their preservation and revitalization. This framework has the potential to serve as a foundational tool for efforts to sustain and revive Acehnese and other vernacular languages more broadly.

Narrating a path: Digital humanities tools in the linguistics classroom

This paper embraces the premise in Mehl (2021: 331) that “linguists should care about the digital humanities … because collaborations between … linguistics and DH will be fruitful for all of us.” I discuss my incorporation of a selection of DH tools and practices into my teaching of three undergraduate linguistics courses, where in lieu of the traditional “research paper”, students learn about free web-based tools to create interactive exhibits and digitally edited volumes. These tools make multimodal writing and data presentation easy, and they are ideal for interactive presentation of ideas. They also allow students to weave concepts in linguistics with ways in which linguistics, usually more embedded in the social sciences, finds footing in the humanities, including language and identity, language endangerment and revitalization, or specific languages that they speak or are spoken in their worlds. These initiatives address justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) initiatives promoting cross-linguistic and cross-cultural understanding. They also allow students to actively interrogate the ways in which the discipline may perpetuate or challenge existing power structures and their biases.

Quantifying linguistic heritage: Philological insights for high-impact language preservation

This research paper digs into the complex intersection of philological viewpoints and quantitative analysis to disentangle the dynamics of language protection. Considering the developing threat to language endangerment, our examination utilizes a comprehensive quantitative way to deal with the health of a particular linguistic community. With the utilization of language proficiency measures, documentation indices and demographic information, our review gives a complex comprehension of language evolution inside a cultural structure. The theoretical framework gives understanding into the complexities of language preservation techniques by coordinating deep rooted philological standards. Besides the fact that the discoveries add to the empirical comprehension of language preservation, they also furnish practitioners and policymakers with significant experiences. This examination desires to propel the discussion on language revitalization methodologies by melding the thorough quantitative methodology with the rich tradition of philology, stressing the importance of keeping up with linguistic legacy in a continually shifting global context. The implications of the examination go past scholarly circles, giving proof to practical, proof based activities to preserve endangered languages.

Discourses of solidarity and resistance in alternative linguistics spaces: Galician improvised poetry as linguistic collective action

AbstractThis article focuses on alternative ways of understanding language in the context of minority language advocacy through an examination of the Galician tradition of singing‐in‐verse, known as regueifa. It proposes the notion of “linguistic collective action” to refer to the battery of resistance and solidarity strategies that lead to social transformation, implemented in grassroots movements linked to language struggles that not only go beyond the binary tropes of “pride” and “profit”, but also transcend traditional ideas of how language revitalization should be carried out. To tap into the dynamics of this social movement, we draw on a multi‐sited ethnography of the interconnected spaces in which urban‐based Galician speakers engage in collective action through the practice of regueifa. We examine how progressive values (e.g.: LGBTQ+ advocacy, feminism, and anti‐neoliberalism) are intertwined with the use of minoritized language reclamation, acting as a trigger for social transformation.

Dialectology Landscape: Duano Sea Tribe Communication at Jambi Province

Duano language in Sabak and Tungkal is included into the extinct language category. One way to avoid language extinction is through language revitalization or language documentation. The purpose of this research is to ascertain and explain the proto language and the kinship of Duano tribe in Sabak and Tungkal through dialectology. Then, language documentation is carried out to look at all related aspects from cognate to morpheme positioning. The writers used Proto Malayic from Adelaar (1992) as IPD instrument, The data sources are Duano language from Sabak and Tungkal regencies spoken by 10 respondents. This is a qualitative study. The data were collected through interview, note-taking, recording, and documentation. Then, they were analyzed comparatively. This research found 920 zero data, 510 lexical differences data, 1210 cognate, and 570 phonological differences data. This showed that almost 50% of the data has zero difference, which means they have the same vocabulary. Then, phonological difference is 7.01% indicating that the two languages are different Speech. Meanwhile, lexical difference is 35.29% implying that the two are different subdialects, The relationship between the two regions is very close., the number of vocabularies that belong to vocabulary shift was higher than the vocabulary maintenance. This means that language extinction is very high, especially in the Tungkal area.

Language, politics, and identity: Challenges to the Panjabi language in India

ABSTRACT This paper provides an evidence-based study that evaluates the attitudes of Panjabi speakers in the Panjab region towards the Panjabi language, exploring the underlying reasons shaping those attitudes. Panjabi language activists have expressed concerns about the challenges confronting the language and its vitality. However, due to a noticeable absence of any empirical data these concerns often become entangled in a discourse, questioning the authenticity and reliability of these concerns. This paper, therefore, aims to measure the realistic standing and situation of the language, by undertaking the first, empirical study across nine districts in Panjab, India.

Ngiyampaa ngiya guthigu ngiyali (Ngiyampaa Words for Talking About Songs): Creating Mayi (Aboriginal) Language for Musicology in a Language Revitalization Context

Mayi (Aboriginal) songs of central-western New South Wales hold power from Country and are connected to a line of Ancestors that can be felt when listened to. However, Aboriginal songs of Australia are often analysed through Western musicology and Western musical notation systems, which may not be appropriate to the contexts for Mayi Language, Country, and Culture in which the songs originate. Mayi in New South Wales are revitalizing their Languages after surviving cultural and Language genocide. In this situation, how can Mayi analyse songs within our own cultural understanding and our own Language while relearning and revitalizing our Language? How can analysing our songs support this Language revitalization? As a Mayi singer researching historical singers and speakers of Ngiyampaa and neighbouring Languages, I suggest a more suitable form of notating and analysing songs to represent them in their cultural context and attempt to revitalize specialist Mayi musicology terms and Language for discussing and passing on Mayi songs.

Dealing with Multilingualism and Non-English Content in Open Repositories: Challenges and Perspectives

Several organizations and initiatives have recently called for more support of multilingualism in research to promote epistemic plurality and raise awareness of the adverse effects of an anglocentric research ecosystem. But this support for and practice of multilingualism and linguistic diversity cannot happen in a digital or technological vacuum. Open repositories can play an important role in ensuring that research infrastructures have the ability to implement and promote multilingualism at scale in an Open Science environment. This implementation, however, is complex and does not come without its own theoretical and technical challenges. One of these challenges is to recognize that the implementation of multilingualism in open repositories can hardly be dissociated from wider concerns of discoverability, research assessment practices, and the anglocentric nature of digital infrastructures and metadata standards or protocols. Drawing on the COAR (Coalition of Open Access Repositories) recommendations report produced by the COAR Task Force on Supporting Multilingualism and non-English Content in Repositories, this article presents and critically examines how and why three particular recommendations of this document are particularly well suited to support a decolonial trajectory for the management of multilingualism in open repositories. More specifically, this article discusses the decolonial aspects and praxis underlying guidelines such as declaring the language(s) of the resource and of its metadata, writing personal name/s using the writing system used in the deposited document while providing a persistent identifier to disambiguate author/s identification and, overlapping with the latter, enabling UTF-8 support so as to promote use of the original alphabet / the writing system whenever possible, without negating the possibility to transliterate metadata by means of recognized standards (e.g. ISO). In so doing, we argue that these recommendations enable a multifaceted technology and politics of recovery that promotes a form of linguistic revitalization and strengthens linguistic diversity.

مكانة اللغة العربية: تحديات التراجع وآفاق الارتقاء من منظور سياسي

This study addresses the issue of the declining status of the Arabic language from a political perspective, focusing on the role of political factors in this regression. These factors are examined on two levels: externally, the analysis explores the impact of foreign influence policies and the resulting cultural infiltration in the Arab world; internally, it investigates the political frameworks of Arab regimes that often lack serious political will for cultural and linguistic revitalization, alongside the fragility of the Arab regional system and the shortcomings of educational policies that have contributed to weak language usage. The study concludes that the decline in the status of the Arabic language is attributable to both internal and external political factors. Chief among these are the absence of genuine political will for cultural and linguistic advancement, the lack of cohesion and strength within the Arab regional system, the prevalence of unilateral agreements over integrative diplomacy in Arab relations, and the inadequacy of legislation and laws necessary to regulate language usage effectively.

The Function of Digital Technology in Minority Language Preservation: The Case of the Gyalrong Tibetan Language

Abstract In the digital media era, the preservation of minority languages and cultures faces profound challenges. This article focuses on the Gyalrong Tibetan language (GTL) as a representative case within the broader context of linguistic diversity endangerment. The emergence of digital technology as a supplementary tool to preserve endangered languages provides opportunities and challenges in language conservation. Adopting a qualitative research approach and thematic analysis, collecting data from previous studies, fieldwork, and interviews, this study considers the intersection of digital technology and GTL preservation. It examines 1) the opportunities, 2) the challenges and concerns of integrating digital technology and minority languages and 3) the evolving dynamics of language proficiency influenced by educational systems among younger generations. Moreover, these considerations are placed within the framework of media ecology and language shifts, exploring how communication technologies shape GTL and its cultural context. This research contributes empirical insights to the discourse on minority language revitalisation and offers a strategic view for further research into language preservation in a digitised world.

The Routledge Handbook of Language Revitalization, by Leanne Hinton, Leena Huss, and Gerald Roche, eds.

The Routledge Handbook of Language Revitalization, by Leanne Hinton, Leena Huss, and Gerald Roche, eds.

Culturally-sustaining and revitalizing computer science education for Indigenous students

Computer science (CS) teachers are still learning how to enact culturally-sustaining/revitalizing CS education for Indigenous students. In response, elementary teachers on the Wind River Reservation, a professional development provider, researchers, and the Wyoming Department of Education formed a researcher-practitioner collaborative to implement and study the implementation of culturally- sustaining/revitalizing CS lessons using design-based implementation research (DBIR) practices. Researchers collected data via interviews, reflection forms, and observations. Findings indicated that teachers used students’ funds of knowledge to support engagement and expanded lessons to reflect Indigenous priorities of language revitalization and Tribal sovereignty. Creating culturally-sustaining/revitalizing CS education was a collective activity, drawing on interdependence of teachers and students.

Technology and Language Revitalization in Indonesia: A Literature Review of Digital Tools for Preserving Endangered Languages

This systematic literature review examines specific digital tools such as mobile apps, online dictionaries, and social media platforms, evaluating their implementation and effectiveness in preserving endangered languages in Indonesia. Drawing from an analysis of ten scholarly publications spanning 2019 to 2023, key tools identified include the Android-based Lampung dictionary, "Nusantara in Your Hand" for Javanese and Madurese, and the Muyu-Indonesian-English Dictionary App. These tools engage communities through initiatives like the Balinese Language Digital Dictionary and BASAbali Wiki, utilizing platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and YouTube for cultural preservation. Implementation strategies encompass a variety of mediums: mobile apps tailored for Lampung, Javanese, and Madurese speakers; comprehensive online platforms like the Balinese Language Digital Dictionary and BASAbali Wiki; interactive resources such as LearnJavaneseOnline.com; and dynamic social media engagement on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Utilizing modern technology, these tools document, teach, and sustain regional languages, enhancing accessibility and fostering community engagement. Their effectiveness lies in promoting community involvement, integrating into educational frameworks, and gaining support from governments and local communities, thus playing a crucial role in safeguarding Indonesia's linguistic heritage and cultural identity. In conclusion, digital tools present significant progress in preserving Indonesia's linguistic diversity, requiring strategies that address socio-cultural and technical challenges, prioritize community involvement, foster collaboration across sectors, improve digital infrastructure, and promote sustainable practices to ensure long-term success in language revitalization efforts.

Community Radio Content in Print Facebook Posts: Limitations and Opportunities for Indigenous Languages

With the advent of social media, traditional analogue radio has converged to audio-visual with print formats. Using the case of community radio in Zimbabwe, this article explores how radio broadcasters have taken advantage of media convergence to disseminate text as implant on radio. A qualitative content analysis of community radio platforms on Facebook reveals that some multilingual community radio stations still maintain their local languages in written text as captions or print, although there is a tendency towards English and major indigenous language dominance. Using language revitalisation theory, we argue that merging written text with radio on social media should always maintain the distinctness of radio and text as implant that reflect the local languages of community radio stations to revitalise or strengthen indigenous languages. We find the affordances of digital connection through Facebook useful to revitalise languages which are no longer used in the everyday communication of a digital audience.

Utilising AI-powered Chatbots for Learning Endangered Nigerian Languages and Considerations for Their Development

Younger generations in Nigeria increasingly use English over their native languages, leading to a decline in indigenous language use in public and professional settings and risking language loss. Consequently, this study explores the potential of AI-powered chatbots in aiding the learning of endangered Nigerian languages. The objectives are to determine how chatbots can support language learning, identify the essential functionalities required for effective learning, and outline design considerations to address the specific challenges faced by these languages. The research employs a qualitative approach, using secondary data from existing literature on language revitalisation, AI chatbots, and Nigerian languages. The analysis reveals that AI chatbots can significantly enhance language learning through features such as handling tonal distinctions and syntactic operations present or allowed in the languages, providing feedback, and engaging learners. Practical design considerations for developers include integrating these functionalities to create effective language-learning tools. These findings suggest that integrating AI technology into language preservation efforts can offer an innovative solution to revitalise endangered Nigerian languages and ensure their continued use among future generations.

Development Digitization of Partuturon Cultural Linguistic Index as Conservation and Revitalization of Angkola Language in South Tapanuli District

The purpose of this research is to develop the digitization of Partuturon cultural linguistic index as an effort to conserve and revitalize the Angkola language in South Tapanuli Regency. This research is structured using the concept of needs analysis, application development, application testing and implementation. This research brings findings and results that stimulate the initialization of the Partuturon cultural linguistic index, provide a deeper understanding of the angkola language and contribute to its preservation and development efforts, and overall understand the impact of digitization on the conservation and revitalization of the Angkola language. The implications of the findings examined towards the maintenance of the Angkola language, as well as the potential development of modern cultural innovations. The results of the analysis show that the digitization of the linguistic index of Partuturon culture has proven to be effective in the conservation and revitalization of the Angkola language. The digitization of the linguistic index has increased public interest in the Angkola language, especially the younger generation. The digitization of the linguistic index has also helped the community in understanding and using the Angkola language better.