Title: English is Everywhere
I wanted to look into a topic that I felt passionate about and that affects people and wanted to raise awareness on a specific issue. Whilst studying abroad I was part of a program where it was mandatory for everyone to be fluent in English due to all the classes being taught in English despite the university being in Denmark. Moreover, my coding class was predominately foreign students who were having to code and learn information in their second or potentially third language. This made me feel surprised and ashamed only knowing one language and being English and how dominant it is as a language. It also made me think about how coding is not accessible to a lot of the world and creates a smaller community of mostly western people. When I asked my peers and people on this program how they all have learnt English, they responded saying ‘English is everywhere’ whether that is through film, music, websites, signs they are more exposed to the English language than English people are to other languages.
In today’s world, where globalisation and digital technology seem to be blending cultures into one uniform mix, the importance of preserving endangered languages has never been more important. It’s a stand against the tide of cultural sameness, a pushback against the overwhelming dominance of English as the world’s go-to language, propelled by the ever-expanding reach of digital platforms. This project is all about diving into that crucial junction where technology meets creativity, with a mission to use interactive digital mediums as a powerful tool to celebrate and deepen our understanding of the planet’s most at-risk languages and cultures. It’s about leveraging the best of what technology has to offer to ensure that these unique voices aren’t just preserved but are also appreciated and understood on a global scale.
I began researching relevant readings and articles that I could look into relating to this topic
Inspiration:
https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/digital-future-indigenous-languages-insights-partnerships-forum
Ideas:
- Language garden – VR app shows a garden to show whether a language is flourishing or not with a corresponding web app
- Project Mapping – a globe that displays the names of countries and languages and the number of people left speaking that languages. I want the words to have a loading effect whether the letters and numbers are calculating and the colours to change. I want it to produce gibberish as well as a lesson to English speakers that it is easy for us to understand life as we English is everywhere. Maybe I could also print code in a random language. A web application will be linked to it so users can find out more about the dying or living languages that catch their eye.
- Create a coding language not in English
- Hieroglyphics – link to modern languages
Reading List
- Globalization and Its Discontents” by Joseph E. Stiglitz
- Language Death – David Crystal
- “Digital Language Death” by András Kornai – his paper discusses the phenomenon of language death in the digital era, offering a crucial perspective on how digital presence (or lack thereof) affects language vitality. It’s a key resource for understanding the digital challenges faced by endangered languages.
- “Endangered Languages: An Introduction” by Sarah G. Thomason – This book provides a comprehensive overview of language endangerment, preservation efforts, and why languages die, grounding the project in real-world challenges.
- “Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age” by Sherry Turkle – Turkle explores how technology impacts human communication. Her insights can inform how digital platforms like chatbots might foster meaningful conversations about language and culture.
- “Linguistic Diversity and Social Justice: An Introduction to Applied Sociolinguistics” by Ingrid Piller – Piller explores the implications of linguistic diversity for social justice, including how globalization and digital communication technologies impact language rights and cultural preservation.
- “Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language” by Gretchen McCulloch – While mentioned earlier, this book also dives into how digital communication platforms influence language evolution and usage, providing insights into the dynamics of language in the digital age.
- “The Language of New Media” by Lev Manovich – Manovich’s work on the language of digital media tools and the internet provides insights into how these technologies shape cultural expression and communication, relevant for understanding the digital landscape’s role in promoting English dominance.
- “Technolingualism: The Mind and the Machine” by James Pfrehm – Pfrehm examines the relationship between technology and language, providing a framework for thinking about how chatbots and digital puzzles can engage users with language learning.
- English as a Global Language – David Crystal