View Content #10764
| Contentid | 10764 |
|---|---|
| Content Type | 1 |
| Title | Software Company Helps Revive 'Sleeping' Language |
| Body | From http://www.scpr.org/news/2010/02/02/software-company-helps-revive-sleeping-language Software Company Helps Revive 'Sleeping' Language by Larry Abramson February 2, 2010 Rosetta Stone, which focuses on teaching languages to tourists and business travelers, is helping the Chitimacha tribe of Louisiana resuscitate its native tongue. The last native speaker passed away in 1940, and the tribe hopes shiny new software will attract youth to the language. The company has worked with other tribes trying to save dying languages, but those tribes have all been able to turn to elderly native speakers. "In the Chitimacha project, that hasn't been the case," says Bittinger, "so it's been a very challenging project, but also very inspiring." The Chitimacha did have hundreds of hours of scratchy recordings on wax cylinders, along with extensive notes from linguist Morris Swadesh, who recorded Chitimacha Chief Ben Paul before the chief's death in 1934. Over the past decade, the tribe has been using those bits and pieces to build a curriculum, and start teaching Chitimacha to schoolchildren. Read the full article at http://www.scpr.org/news/2010/02/02/software-company-helps-revive-sleeping-language |
| Source | NPR |
| Inputdate | 2010-02-14 11:16:13 |
| Lastmodifieddate | 2010-02-14 11:16:13 |
| Expdate | Not set |
| Publishdate | 2010-02-15 00:00:00 |
| Displaydate | Not set |
| Active | 1 |
| Emailed | 1 |
| Isarchived | 1 |
