Digitizing to survive: a social technology for the revitalization of Amazonian languages

In Brazil, most of the original languages and their cultural heritage are in a vulnerable situation. They are no longer used in everyday communication or passed on to children. There is worldwide concern about this issue (see the launch of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages by UNESCO https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/digital-empowerment-driving-international-decade-indigenous-languages) and there is great demand from indigenous populations to resume learning and using their languages.

They care! We care!

The Multimedia dictionaries have been developed to help in this process of linguistic revitalization, combining text and media (images & sounds). This social technology involves a partnership between linguists and indigenous communities to develop reapplicable methodologies and digital products aimed at preserving and revitalizing endangered indigenous languages. The technology is free to use and easy to access, and can be used by communities on a large scale on cell phones, tablets and computers and without the need for internet access. This technology can be applied to any language in Brazil and/or other parts of the world.