Briefly explain what are you trying to accomplish with this project, or what do you expect will change as a result of this grant. Example goals include, "recruit new editors", "add high quality content", or "train existing editors on a specific skill".
UNESCO's latest interactive Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger has identified nearly 2,500 languages endangered out of the 7000-odd languages spoken across the world. With as many as 197 endangered languages among its 600 plus tongues spoken, India tops the list.[1] Whose Knowledge echoes the finding, claiming that only 500 of the world’s 7000 languages are represented online, with English and Chinese dominating, thereby concluding that online knowledge is accessible only through colonial languages.[2]
India is a multicultural and multilingual country. However the online presence of several of these languages and hence cultures is minimal. A good way to deal with this problem is to focus on the point where language intersects with culture. Documentation of folk songs, folktales and folk-art can be a starting point here. In the future, we can also focus on cultural material artefacts such as ornaments and utensils we might encounter while documenting the culture.
What necessitates action in this direction is the fact that several Indian languages come under the vulnerable and endangered category. In the age where communication and information access has become increasingly dependent on the internet, this project might be beneficial in restoration of such languages. In doing so, we will also produce a toolkit and therefore a blueprint for future documentation.
In the pilot project, we would like to focus on creating a toolkit in at-least a couple of Indian languages. We intend to pilot this by documenting at least two languages, at least one of which is in the vulnerable category. We will document, record and transcribe folk songs and folktales in these languages. Working with the native people and experts we will also build a toolkit which will aid in further documentation of languages and cultures, along with creating their transcriptions and subtitles. We are going to build this toolkit on the basis of existing toolkits and also try to fill present gaps with research and interviews, with special focus on ethical ways to approach indigenous communities as outsiders.
As a proof of concept, we have starting creating a new Wikisource for Angika (one of the endangered languages of India) on the Multilingual Wikisource, which is entirely based on audio-visual content as of now.