There are over 6,500 languages spoken across the world, and 50 percent of them are at risk of disappearing.
And with 95 per cent of these languages spoken by less than five per cent of the world's population this is cause for concern according to AUT University's International Centre for Language Revitalisation (ICLR).
The centre, which was launched in May of this year, is based within Te Ipukarea, The National M?ori Language Institute at AUT.
Using research and technology already developed by Te Ipukarea the centre aims to share this with endangered and minoritised language groups around the world and can tailor its online digital platform to help these groups with their specific language needs.
The ICLR's director, Professor Tania Ka'ai, and colleague Professor John Moorfield have already begun work with four language groups. "The need for new empowering and technologically-based dialogues and engagements with local communities, in as many contexts as possible, is urgent at a time when traditional economics and cultures are being further exposed to the assimilatory effects of globalisation," says Ka'ai.
Groups from Hawai'i, one from Montana in the USA (Salish speaking), a M?ori community, Tapuika, from the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand and a Yiddish language cohort based in Auckland, are the first of hopefully many language groups who will be able to utilise this technology and as a result revitalise their endangered language says Moorfield. "M?ori, Pacific, indigenous and minoritised people all over the world are part of a quest to reclaim their voice, their language, their culture and their identity. We hope to provide a forum where these struggles and successes can be shared, celebrated and learned from together."
New AUT professor and chair of the ICLR, Muiris ÓLaoire, says revitalising language is vital and to move forward in society we need to recognise our history.
"The future is actually about diversity in a knowledge society. When we go back to revitalise we are acknowledging this diversity and culture and this has a place in the future. We don't know where we are going unless we know the past."
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