Three students from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts recently completed a seven-week project at the Indigenous Languages Institute in Santa Fe during which they helped update the institute’s Native Language Resource Directory.
“I think I was vastly unaware how big the problem of language endangerment is,” said 20-year-old Susan Stukas, a WPI student completing her junior year. “When you lose a language, you lose a way of thinking.”
Every year, WPI juniors are required to complete an interactive qualifying project, using research and technology to engage with social issues. About half of these projects are completed off campus, and WPI students have come to Santa Fe in the springtime to work with the Indigenous Languages Institute for several years.
“The great thing about the projects is that they’re not part of our majors,” Stukas explained. “We’ve taken what we know from engineering and science and [applied it to] something [for which] we don’t necessarily use our intellect. It’s a great way to open our minds and extend our horizons.”
The Indigenous Languages Institute first compiled a paper directory of language programs, organizations and funding sources back in 1998. Now, the directory is available to the public online. The directory exists in order to help language professionals and speakers of endangered languages find one another and share information.
“We took the paper directory and enhanced it,” Stukas said. “By putting it online, we improved accessibility, enhanced searchability by creating different means of searching for organizations and categories, created an interactive map, and most significantly, the directory can be continually updated.”
At present, the directory has nearly 200 entries, including 137 language programs, 37 organizations and 22 funding organizations. Stukas hopes that in addition to linguistics professionals, speakers of endangered languages will utilize the directory.
According to Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages in Portland, Ore., nearly half of the world’s languages are likely to disappear by the end of the century.
“That’s a scary statistic,” Stukas said. “One reason for it is that elder generations aren’t teaching younger generations [the language].” She hopes that the directory will help speakers access their native languages.
“It’s powerful to have a directory that’s so accessible,” Stukas said. “It’s easy to use and it’s widely distributed among the Internet community. I’m glad to be part of bringing awareness to it.”
Visit the directory online at www.ilinative.org/directory/
- This article originally appears at:
- http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/article_d47b99d0-5417-5ff0-bcce-bbff5a85142b.html
- Article taken from the following publication:
- Santa Fe New Mexican
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