Multimedia for endangered languages

Éva Á. Csató and David Nathan

Uppsala University

HRELP, SOAS, London

Aug 2007

Multimedia and interactivity

work collaboratively with community members from the outset of a project

bring linguists, community members, teachers, designers, IT people into multidisciplinary partnerships

resources are innovative, engaging, motivatingsupport language learningstimulate wider language activities

What (some) communities want

the sound of spoken languageuseful, everyday expressionsproduct development processes that respect

people’s “ownership” of and relationships to language

a range of products from comprehensive linguistic and cultural multimedia documentations, to learning resources, songs, games

products that are easy to use

Collaborative development

Paakantyi talking dictionary - word elicitationvariationart and lineage

• Paakantyi

• Map

Audio !

calling the tune on audio - it’s about time that advances and opportunities pay out

Edison claimed in 1878 that his phonograph could be used to preserve languages: • see next slide

Letter writing and all kinds of dictation without the aid of a stenographer

Phonographic books, which speak to blind people without effort on their part

The teaching of elocution Reproduction of music The "Family Record"--a registry of sayings, reminiscences, etc., by

members of a family in their own voices, and of the last words of dying persons [DN recalls photography]

Music-boxes and toys Clocks that should announce in articulate speech the time for going

home, going to meals, etc. The preservation of languages by exact reproduction of the manner of

pronouncing Educational purposes; such as preserving the explanantions made by a

teacher, so that the pupil can refer to them at any moment, and spelling or other lessons placed upon the phonograph for convenience in committing to memory

Connection with the telephone, so as to make that instrument an auxiliary in the transmission of permanent and invaluable records, instead of being the recipient of momentary and fleeting communication

Participants, art and lineage in the Paakantyi CD-ROM

Multimedia projects

emphasise performancesbounded time and scopelink between producers and receiverscommunity can steer the projecttransfer skillsproject has a biography that connects with usersbuild an interested and committed audienceprovide status and motivation for language

Intellectual property and sensitivities

You have to listen, negotiate, and follow community wishes these might change over time there might not be consensus

An extreme case

Pistes de Reve (Dream Trackers: Yapa Art and Knowledge of the Australian Desert)

Barbara Glowczewsky et al

Warlpiri community suppressed distribution because their knowledge was represented too well!

Ethical issues

working ‘for the benefit of the sick’assist community in its own efforts to revitalise

languagemobilisation - creating accessible, useful and

effective products for the community (from your data)

training - actively participating in and organising training

The case of Karaim

Turkic languagesKaraim communitiesTrakaithe speakersrevitalisation and the Spoken Karaim CDsummer schools

Turkic languages

Genetic affiliation: Turkic, Kipchak branch. Basic vocabulary and morphology is dominantly Turkic

Three relatively different dialects:Lithuanian West Ukrainian Crimean

Karaim communities

Geography: Several small communities in Lithuania (Vilnius, Panevezys, Trakai), Poland (Warsaw and other great cities), Russia (Moscow) and Ukraine (Crimea, Kiev)

Number of Karaims:

Lithuania ~ 180

Poland 43

Russia 366

Ukraine ~ 1200

Total : 2000-2500

Number of speakers: ~ 35 mostly old people in Lithuania

Dispersed community

A historical centre, a small town in the vicinity of Vilnius, Lithuania

Trakai

The speakers

Revitalisation

revival of community life the Spoken Karaim CD 5 summer schools

Spoken Karaim

team dynamics and exchangeuser orientationlinks, links, linksunexpected usages

• Spoken Karaim

Spoken Karaim

Collaborative and documentation strategies, eg Karaim character documentation

ID Glyph Name Seq Old New Unicode (draft)

(in standard font:)

20 Ö d-pal d' 302 214 010F

• Spoken Karaim

Simple rules for transliteration

y>jx>ch-- depal before et'>ti:ek'>ki:ed'>di:el'>li:en'>ni:e-- depal before a#t'>ti:a#k'>ki:a#d'>di:a#l'>li:a# n'>ni:a#

-- other consonants

n#'>l'

n#>l'

s#'>s#

z#'>z#

-- dissimilation geminate

l'>l:l

n'>n:n

-- catch the rest

b'>b

c'>c

c#'>c#

c#>c#

d'>d'

f'>f

g#'>hi

g#>h

g'>g

k'>k

m'>m

n'>n'

p'>p

r'>r

t'>t'

v'>v

Unexpected usages

Products will be used in different ways than you planned or envisaged!religious performanceschangeable orthographiesteaching materials

• Karaim

• Karaim summer school CD 1

• from Karaim summer school CD 2

• Karaim summer school CD 3

Gamilaraay/Yuwaalaraay

repurposingeven more links

• Learning Gamilaraay and Yuwaalaraay

Two ducks ...

diasporic community in UKmultimedia is a different ecology - products can

be simple!

• Two ducks and a turtle

Issues and questions ...

End

this talk has already finished

Aboriginal Australia (Horton/AIATSIS)