Self documentation of endangered languages

Abstract

Several minority languages are on the verge of extinction in Nepal, especially when they don't have a generally accepted writing system and occur in an area where Nepali (the official language) is predominantly used. Lohorung is an example, which is spoken among the Lohroung Rai communities of Sankhuwasabha, a hilly district of eastern Nepal. Older generations of Lohorung are experts in Lohorung but they have limitations in reading and writing English or Nepali. The documentation of Lohorung and other similar endangered languages is important. If the right tools and techniques are used, we believe that self documentation is one of the best ways, to document a language. We have developed an online platform which community members can use to collaboratively self document their language. The platform is a multimodal dictionary authoring and browsing tool and it has been developed with a focus on usability, ease of use and productivity.