Minor languages face many challenges in India and elsewhere. With most of these languages on the verge of extinction, preservation efforts using technology need to develop a different vision for helping these languages and their communities. Dr Soni Wadhwa, Assistant Professor from the Department of Literature and Languages, has published her research in the article “Digital Technology for Literature Revitalisation: A Framework for Sindhi Libraries in India” in the Q1 journal Preservation, Digital Technology and Culture, highlighting on overcoming these challenges. Her research emphasises a five-point framework to revive Sindhi literature.
Abstract
Linguistic diversity does not find adequate space in LIS discourses around libraries in India and other regions with similar kinds of linguistic heritage. This study focuses on the state of Sindhi literature in India through a look at the libraries that house the works of Sindhi literary activity in post-Partition India. The objective is to highlight the role of libraries within language revitalization efforts. This study puts forth a five-point framework for digital transformation of Sindhi libraries in India which can help broaden the digital transformation efforts elsewhere in the Global South especially with minor languages and dialects. While the five-point framework is customized to the specific challenges faced by Sindhi regarding its script (and includes designing solutions for OCR, transliteration, and text to speech interaction), its principles could be applied to several other linguistic contexts, especially in the Global South. It, thus, seeks to bring LIS into sharp focus within the social imagination of communities of readers and as speakers of a language, and not just as academic institutions alone.
Practical Implementation/Social Implications of the Research
- Using this five-point framework, scholars from various fields (history, partition studies, language, literature, digital humanities, digital archiving, etc) can identify different ways of preserving the Sindhi language.
- The use of technology for this purpose can lead to technological innovation, which in turn can accelerate preservation efforts.
- Similar models and frameworks can be developed for other minor languages.
Collaboration
The project is funded by IIT Indore.
