[Challenge:Future] Language Death - The Language Box
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The document proposes creating a database called "The Language Box" to prevent the extinction of half the world's existing languages. It would collect and store written, audio, and video documentation of endangered and extinct languages to preserve linguistic and cultural diversity. By making this data widely available, it could raise awareness of language endangerment and serve as a tool for research. The goal is to use technology to prevent the loss of unique cultural knowledge and ways of thinking that come with every language.
![Why should we care?
“Languages are not simply bodies of vocabulary or sets of grammatical rules,
but "old growth forests of the mind“, for the many and unique cultures of
the world reflect different ways of being, thinking, and knowing.”[1]
Losing the wide spectrum of languages, we lose the world’s creative force on
which depend the development and existence of humanity.
Creative
Linguistic Intellectual
problem
diversity diversity
solving
More importantly, when a language dies, a whole culture goes to the grave.
Language Culture
death death
A death of a language represents both a scientific and a cultural tragedy](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/challengefuture-language-death-the-language-box4727-111117192141-phpapp02/85/Challenge-Future-Language-Death-The-Language-Box-3-320.jpg)
![Potential impact
Ultimately, The Language Box would help prevent a cultural
and scientific tragedy. It would help the world function in its
own, beautiful diverse way. It would help preserve the
linguistic and cultural diversity, representing a never-ending
well of different ways to be human, all sorts of knowledge
and philosophy. It would make the world a place where ideas
are born and searched in the differences. These ideas would
later contribute to the well-being of all the people on the
planet.
“The world deserves to exist in a diverse way. We can find a
way to live in a multicultural, pluralistic world, where all the
wisdom of all the peoples can contribute to our collective
well-being” [2]](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/challengefuture-language-death-the-language-box4727-111117192141-phpapp02/85/Challenge-Future-Language-Death-The-Language-Box-10-320.jpg)
![References
[1], [2] Davis, Wade. ""On endangered cultures"." TED Talks.
Monterey, CA. Feb 2003. Lecture. 22 Oct 2009. -
http://www.ted.com/talks/wade_davis_on_endangered_cult
ures.html
Ethnologue - http://www.ethnologue.com/
UNESCO -
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/cultural-
diversity/languages-and-multilingualism/endangered-
languages/
The Endangered Language Fund -
http://www.endangeredlanguagefund.org/
Committee on Endangered Languages and Their
Preservation (CELP) - http://www.lsadc.org/info/lsa-comm-
endanger.cfm](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/challengefuture-language-death-the-language-box4727-111117192141-phpapp02/85/Challenge-Future-Language-Death-The-Language-Box-11-320.jpg)
[Challenge:Future] Language Death - The Language Box
- 1. The Language Box …or how do we prevent a tragedy caused by the death of half of the existing languages? By: Marija Grujovska
- 2. The problem There are around 6000 languages spoken today. If nothing is done, half of those languages will disappear by the end of the century. With a language dying every two weeks, the world today is facing a LANGUAGE EXTINCTION ON A MASSIVE SCALE.
- 3. Why should we care? “Languages are not simply bodies of vocabulary or sets of grammatical rules, but "old growth forests of the mind“, for the many and unique cultures of the world reflect different ways of being, thinking, and knowing.”[1] Losing the wide spectrum of languages, we lose the world’s creative force on which depend the development and existence of humanity. Creative Linguistic Intellectual problem diversity diversity solving More importantly, when a language dies, a whole culture goes to the grave. Language Culture death death A death of a language represents both a scientific and a cultural tragedy
- 4. The struggle There are many organizations around Globalization the world that have made a great Modernization effort to reduce the rate of language extinction. UNESCO, Committee of Endangered Languages and Their Assimilation Preservation (CELP) and The acculturation Endangered Language Fund are just some of them… Over the years they have been documenting and revitalizing the endangered languages, encouraging Language the indigenous people to bilingualism death and raising awareness among the endangered communities and worldwide.
- 5. The idea The Language Box = a huge internet data-base consisting written, audio or video data of all the world’s endangered and already extinct languages. Written data The Audio data language box Video data
- 6. How does it work? Linguists from all around the world collect written (including some translations, notes etc.), audio or video records, depending on the conditions. All the data is stored in The Language Box and is available on the internet. The already existing data is stored as well. Audio and video Written material records The Language Box
- 7. Is it effective? As a • Selected data could be used by the media and made into campaigns, documentaries, short movies etc. • It would be available for everyone to see and raise awareness prevention about the importance and value of language diversity Purpose of The Language Box As a • All collected material would be available for all the scientists in the world and be used for further reaserch scientific • The data would help science in the field of linguistics, anthropology, ethnology, psychology, computer tool engineering etc.
- 8. Is it innovative? While I was doing my research on existing similar ideas, I found Ethnologue – an excellent encyclopedic reference work, cataloging all of the world’s 6,909 known living languages. However, there are several crucial differences between Ethnologue and The Language Box. The Language Ethnologue Box would provide a list of provides a list of all endangered and existing languages already extinct languages would provide the provides a huge actual, raw material bibliography of data that would be free and about and connected available for everyone to world languages to use and explore
- 9. Goals and targets To collect the scattered data in one place and To make the world prevent from losing them, understand the meaning serve as a tool and and importance of reference for scientists all linguistic diversity and over the world and help language itself develop certain sciences concerning language. Goals and targets of The Language Box
- 10. Potential impact Ultimately, The Language Box would help prevent a cultural and scientific tragedy. It would help the world function in its own, beautiful diverse way. It would help preserve the linguistic and cultural diversity, representing a never-ending well of different ways to be human, all sorts of knowledge and philosophy. It would make the world a place where ideas are born and searched in the differences. These ideas would later contribute to the well-being of all the people on the planet. “The world deserves to exist in a diverse way. We can find a way to live in a multicultural, pluralistic world, where all the wisdom of all the peoples can contribute to our collective well-being” [2]
- 11. References [1], [2] Davis, Wade. ""On endangered cultures"." TED Talks. Monterey, CA. Feb 2003. Lecture. 22 Oct 2009. - http://www.ted.com/talks/wade_davis_on_endangered_cult ures.html Ethnologue - http://www.ethnologue.com/ UNESCO - http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/cultural- diversity/languages-and-multilingualism/endangered- languages/ The Endangered Language Fund - http://www.endangeredlanguagefund.org/ Committee on Endangered Languages and Their Preservation (CELP) - http://www.lsadc.org/info/lsa-comm- endanger.cfm
Editor's Notes
- #10: Cultural impact: The Language Box would make the world understand the meaning of linguistic diversity and language itself.Scientific impact: It would help collect the scattered data in one place, serve as a tool and reference for scientists all over the world and it would help develop certain sciences concerning language.
- #11: “The world deserves to exist in a diverse way. We can find a way to live in a multicultural, pluralistic world, were all the wisdom of all the peoples can contribute to our collective well-being” [2]