Blog

Recent news and updates regarding the Endangered Languages Project

  • Wednesday, November 16, 2022

    Watch this space - exciting things are coming at ELP!

     Hello, friends of ELP!

    You may have noticed the blog is a bit empty lately. If you're not following us on social media, you may even wonder if ELP is still active! We assure you: we are very much still active. In fact, we're growing and expanding our programs significantly. The only problem is this old blog! 

     

    You see, the ELP website was built back in 2012 - ten years is a lifetime, in website terms. This site is slowly starting to break, and the blog is no exception. (We hope this post even shows up correctly.) 

     

    So, we've been doing most of our sharing about ELP programs on our social media accounts - to keep up to date with what's happening at ELP, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and sign up for our quarterly newsletter!


    Old, buggy websites are frustrating! That's why we'll be launching a brand-new, updated, expanded website in summer 2023. We're developing some exciting new features, including:

    • A global directory of language revitalization programs - a free resource to help language champions around the world learn about each other's work, build connections, and share ideas. Want to be included, and put your work on the map? Fill out a short form to tell the world about your program!
    • The ELP "language revitalization helpdesk" - a space to learn about language revitalization, connect with other people around the world who are fighting for their languages, and explore & share stories about language revitalization around the world. You can learn more about the concept in this video!
    • The ELP Language Revitalization Mentors program - a team of experienced revitalization practitioners will be available to offer free, personalized support to folks around the world. Whatever your language goals are, wherever you are in your revitalization journey, we'll be here to walk alongside you in solidarity and encouragement. This program won't just be in English; the mentors can also work with you in Spanish, French, Mandarin, German, Cameroonian Pidgin, Amdo Tibetan, or Yucatec Maya. The mentoring program will open to the public in early 2023. 
    • A re-designed resource library - our wonderful users have shared over 7,000 multimedia resources about their languages, but currently, the ELP website can only hold materials which are related to one specific language. The new resource library will include materials which are general (i.e. not about any specific language), or about more than one language - and we've got a collection of over 1,000 free resources about language revitalization already gathered to share with you!
    • And a lot more - we'll share some sneak previews on our social media in the coming months. 

     

    We've got a lot going on right now, as well! While we count down to the new website next summer, you can check out all the ELP programs which "live" outside this website:

    • The free Language Documentation Training Webinars - you can watch the recordings on the ELP YouTube channel, or join the Facebook group!
    • Our quarterly Language Revitalization Coffee Chat sessions - informal Zoom gatherings for people around the world working in language revitalization. The next one will be on Friday, November 25, at 10am Pacific (UTC-8). 
    • The Festival of Indigenous Languages took place in January 2022, to kick off the International Decade of Indigenous Languages - you can watch all 20 talks from language revitalization leaders around the world, free on YouTube! 
    • And, of course, we're still constantly adding information and multimedia resources about the 3,400+ languages on the ELP website - we invite you to browse the map, search for languages, or share knowledge about your language and culture. 

     

    We're hard at work behind the scenes to create resources which will be useful to all you language champions around the world, as you work to document, revitalize, reclaim, strengthen, and promote your languages. 

     

    We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being here with us in this space, celebrating and supporting the world's Indigenous, endangered, and minoritized language communities. If you have ideas, questions, or comments about our work, please write to us! We would love to hear from you. 

     

    (And if you'd like to support our work, we are always profoundly grateful for donations! You can donate to ELP via the University of Hawaii Foundation in the US, or MakeWay Foundation in Canada.)


    We can't wait to continue our work together - learning from you, hearing and sharing your stories, and being together in community - over the coming International Decade of Indigenous Languages. 

     

     

    With solidarity, good wishes, and greetings,

     The ELP Team


  • Monday, February 4, 2019

    New Look for the New Year

    At the dawn of the International Year of Indigenous Languages, the Endangered Languages Project emerges from a process of rebirth and renewal.

    We have been hard at work on plans to reach, support, and celebrate language champions and linguistic scholars around the world. And that has led to the design of a new logo to represent our mission to turn the tide of language loss and support the important work of language (re)vitalization and documentation.




    We were glad to work on this project with Vincent Design, a graphic design firm based in Winnipeg, Canada, led by Shaun Vincent. He is known for leadership in Indigenous design growing from his strong roots in the Métis community.

    The symbol Vincent produced represents knowledge sharing, nurturing, and protection, although you are free to interpret it as you like. While abstract, at its heart is a figure carrying on a seed, the seed of knowledge, to symbolize both the fragility of too many languages, and that with work and care they will flourish.

    “Using a seed worked really well – planting knowledge, the cycle of growth and renewal, and passing sacred things between generations all came to mind,” says Vincent. “We chose the ochres, the deep reds and browns, to complement that concept, and in the final versions added in the warm blues associated with trustworthiness.”

    With the launch of this symbol and its surrounding design, we are also proud to launch new initiatives to better share and support the incredible work on endangered languages being done around the world. Please follow us via our blog, Facebook, and Twitter pages. We have a lot to share this year, and we’re just getting started.

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    Contributed by Anna Belew (ELP Outreach Coordinator; PhD candidate in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa) and Doug Hamilton-Evans (ELP Communications Consultant). 

  • Tuesday, November 21, 2017

    Meet Volunteer Translator, Marina Lee

    Q: How did you find out about the Endangered Languages Project?
    A: Via an IMUG (International Multilingual User Group) announcement requesting volunteer translators.

    Q: What interests you most in the ELP?
    A: Preservation of languages. I feel that this is a human rights issue in that we need to enable the speakers of endangered/disappearing languages with tools and resources to help save these languages.

    Q: When did you begin volunteering with us?
    A: I began volunteering in August, 2017.

    Q: Why do you volunteer for us?
    A: Preservation of languages is an important cause for me. I believe that language is an integral part, and a main medium for cultural expression and thus, it is of utmost importance that we help prevent endangered languages from disappearing.

    Q: What has been your most rewarding experience so far?
    A: A humble hope that my actions have helped in the effort to preserve the world's linguistic and cultural diversity.

    Interested in helping us offer the Endangered Languages Project in more languages? Get in touch and tell us about yourself!

  • Monday, November 14, 2016

    Dah Dẕahge Nodes̱idē - We Are Speaking Our Language Again – A new documentary highlighting Tahltan language revitalization efforts
    Contributed by:  Edōsdi (Judy Thompson), Language and Culture Lead, Tahltan Nation

    Dah Dẕahge Nodes̱idē - We Are Speaking Our Language Again is the name of both the Tahltan Language and Culture Council and a new documentary that was officially made available on October 18, 2016 – Tahltan Day. Tahltan Filmmaker Michael Bourquin began filming the documentary in July 2015 to document the work being carried out to revitalize the Tahltan language, a Dene language spoken in Northern British Columbia, Canada by the Tahltan people.

    The documentary focuses on the four areas of the Tahltan Language and Culture Framework: governance, programs, documentation, and professional development and training. 

    “Communicating with Tahltan members about the revitalization of our language is crucial, which is one of the main reasons for the creation of the documentary, along with showing our people the work that has been carried out,” says Edōsdi (Judy Thompson), Language and Culture Lead, Tahltan Nation, who is also an assistant professor in First Nations Studies at the University of Northern British Columbia.

    “We have to have the will to revitalize our language and this can only come about if our people are aware of how fundamentally our language is connected to our land, our culture, our Ancestors, and our identity. There is a need to encourage and motivate our people to use the language in all areas of our lives. 
It is also important for non-Tahltans, and more generally, non-Indigenous people, to understand how crucial it is to preserve and revitalize Indigenous languages that were here before Canada as a nation was born,” she says. Another reason for creating this documentary is to share this work with other Nations.


    To watch the documentary visit: https://vimeo.com/187371287

  • Friday, May 20, 2016

    Preserving language: Torres Strait dialects critically endangered
    As published in the Koori Mail, www.koorimail.com 

    The Torres Strait is set to have its first traditional language plan and charter to guide the revitalisation of the region’s traditional languages, thanks to the work of the Torres Strait Language Reference Group.

    The draft Torres Strait Traditional Languages Plan and Charter are the products of the 2015 Torres Strait Language Symposium, hosted by the Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA), which saw language specialists from across the Torres Strait come together to celebrate and plan for the future of the region’s traditional languages.

    TSRA chairman Joseph Elu said that one year on from the symposium, there had been significant progress made towards future language revitalisation in the region. 
    “The 2015 symposium was a way of bringing communities together to discuss the state of our region’s traditional languages and plan for how to capitalise on some of the great work already being done in the language revitalisation space,” he said. The reference group is made up of elected representatives of each of the six language and dialect groups in the Torres Strait, and chaired by Maluyligal language group speaker Cygnet Repu.

    Mr Repu said the importance of the group’s work was underpinned by the knowledge that traditional languages of the Torres Strait were critically endangered.
    “Traditional languages and culture can never be separated. They will always run together,” he said. “But our languages will become extinct if work is not undertaken to revitalise them. “It’s all about the betterment of our children’s future. We have a collective responsibility and mandate to preserve our languages for them.”

    Mr Repu said the reference group had met multiple times since the symposium last year to work on the development of the language plan and charter, which he hoped could be launched in the next year. “There is a role for everyone to play in implementing the plan, whether it is through learning, teaching, or promoting the use of traditional languages,” he said. “It’s important for the younger generation to know that they won’t be the only ones being taught, but also some of their mums and dads as well.”

    Mr Repu said the language plan and charter would also encourage fluent language speakers to bring traditional language out into the community. “At the moment, when I step out of my house, I become someone else,” he said. “I have my phone with me, I have my iPad with me, and my language differentiates as well.“So what I’m teaching back home is that you don’t only have to be an Islander in the house, you need to be an Islander in the community as well.”

    Mr Elu said the TSRA had received funding in May last year through the Australian Government Ministry for the Arts for the establishment of a regional language centre.
    “The role of the regional language centre would be to provide support and resources to support language revitalisation in local communities through local community teams,” he said.

    Mr Repu praised this grassroots approach towards language revitalisation. “It’s important that we take ownership and direction,” he said. “It’s about empowering ordinary people to get involved and take control of the future of our languages.”



    Torres Strait Language Reference Group members Phillemon Mosby, 
    Milton Savage, Dana Ober, Benny Mabo, Bob Kaigey, Noel Baker, Alick Tipoti, 
    Cygnet Repu (chairperson) Maria Tapim, Mariana Babia and Denna Nona with TSRA representatives Aven Noah Snr, Leitha Assan and Elsie Passi, and Mer community members Alo Tapim, 
    Segar Passi, Nee Tabo and Lillah Noah.
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