Language Revitalization versus Technology
Language and technology have a complicated relationship. As the Internet slowly begins to be viewed as a basic human necessity, accessibility to it has reached nearly all corners of the world. Never before have more people with such unique backgrounds been able to connect with one another. This isn’t without concern, of course. There’s an argument that says globalization through technology results in a loss of identity, especially cultural identity. Language is inherently tied to culture, and thus the idea of technology shoe-horning lingua franca languages to these previously isolated communities can strike fear into the heart of many a linguist. While the pessimist may draw a negative association between language and technology, it’s important to ask; what can technology do for language?
The practice of language revitalization — helping to rescue languages that are declining due to factors such as political unrest, societal pressures, or even genocide — is no stranger to utilizing technology to document and teach endangered languages. Recently, there have been efforts to incorporate modern technology (i.e. smartphones, apps, etc.). For instance, the popular language-learning app, Duolingo, has begun to offer Navajo and Ōlelo Hawaiʻi. While the effort is admirable, would this work for other endangered languages? Languages where speakers don’t have a smartphone readily available to participate?
So, this bears the question: is language revitalization through modern technology an effective and valid solution for areas with severe and significant language loss?
To answer this question, I first looked at what areas and countries are experiencing high levels of language endangerment. The data used is from UNESCO, and has languages listed in varying degrees of vulnerability by country.
For simplicity’s sake, I’ll be focusing on the top five countries with the most endangered languages. Many of these countries are large enough and/or diverse enough to constitute a language area.
I also grabbed two more datasets to look at technology’s presence in these countries. One looks at the percentage of Internet users by country; the other looks at mobile phone plans per 100 people (per country).
Above are the highest and lowest countries by Internet users and mobile plans. Though there are some countries with very low levels of usage, there is a clear upward trend in both data.
How does this compare with the countries we identified with severe language loss?
There doesn’t seem to be any clear trend based on Internet usage. Countries such as the United States, Brazil and Mexico have over half the population using the Internet. However, India and Indonesia have a significantly smaller percentage of the population using it.
As for mobile plans, it seems all of these countries have a fair amount of subscriptions per 100 people. It looks as though more people have mobile phones with plans than Internet access. Though the data on mobile plans are more inspiring, we have to remember these plans are not strictly on smartphones (with access to the Internet, apps, etc.). One may have a phone, but it would be irrelevant to our question if the phone was, say, a flip-phone with no smartphone capabilities.
The verdict? I can’t say there are any visible and obvious trends between access/use of modern technology and endangered languages. Language endangerment affects all types of countries and areas; from developed countries where modern tech is a staple of everyday life, to developing countries where tech is still being integrated. The Duolingo program for the endangered American language, Navajo would probably be helpful (as well as feasible) for an indigenous speaker living in America wanting to connect to their cultural roots. The tools are at their fingertips to be able to practice and immerse themselves in the language. For people in, say, Indonesia wanting to reconnect with a local, indigenous language? An online app is perhaps not the best course of action.
