Google launches Endangered Languages Project

Published time: June 22, 2012 14:06
Edited time: June 22, 2012 18:06
Google launches Endangered Languages Project (Image from www.endangeredlanguages.com)

Researchers believe that almost a half out of 7000 languages spoken in the world today are on the verge of extinction. Google has launched a project aimed at protecting fading languages and make them easily accessible for anyone interested.

­Google has started a website allowing users to explore the endangered languages. The resource is a unique platform for researches involved in work with these languages and anybody else interested to share their work, advice and ideas on how to help document and preserve them.

The website also allows users to store audio, video and graphic samples of the languages.

Google hopes The Endangered Languages Project will inspire those who speak these rare languages to contribute to the cause by making high-quality recordings and share them.

Google’s initiative is backed by a new coalition, the Alliance for Linguistic Diversity, and is widely supported by a number of organizations working with languages at risk. Having led the development Google will leave the resource to experts in languages on the brink of disappearing.

Comments (7)

POOPonAstick (unregistered) 04.07.2012 10:10

languages going extinct is a good thing. maybe if people spoke the same language like english, russian, and spanish there would be less war. even though most wars are caused by religion and the need for natural resources.

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Sikh guy (unregistered) 24.06.2012 03:24

Punjabi is the worlds tenth most spoken language, yet it doesn't feature on Google Translate. It is a stateless language (not the national language of any country) hence it is increasingly not being taught in schools in the Punjab, especially in the cities. In Pakistani Punjab, Urdu is taking dominance and in Indian Punjab, Hindi is enforced on non-native speakers via school, media, government and retail. Urdu and Hindi are actually very similar (could be considered the same language). Punjabi has a different phonology and grammar to Hindi/Urdu.
Also. . I am very disappointed to see anti-semitism in some of the comments on this website. I hope RT start to moderate the comments on their articles. I think they are fake comments, left by people seeking to discredit the fair name of RT. I think its an cunning under-hand attempt to discredit RT, by making out your audience consists heavily of anti-semites. That is not the case!

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RufusTheDog (unregistered) 24.06.2012 02:37

why ain't kentuckian on the map? can't just anyone speak kentuckian.

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