Indigenous Resources - Background, Policy, Analysis: Language

"...called ALT Lab for short... a research lab founded by Dr. Antti Arppe and based in the University of Alberta Linguistics department. Our lab focuses on research and development of language technology, with a particular focus on Indigenous languages, to support language learning, literacy and language sustainability...."

The CCPA publications cover a wide range of Indigenous topics, including housing, Wet’suwet’en, experiences with racism, community development, voting, intimate partner violence, food costs, reconciliation, language revitalization, mining, and so on.

"The Cree Resource Unit (CRU) is a Woodland Cree language site developed by the Cree Resource Unit (CRU), Lac La Ronge Indian Band (LLRIB). The language site focal point is on Instructional Curriculum development for Nursery to Grade 9. There are many other features such as, Cree stories, songs, and talking pictures. "

"An International Year is an important cooperation mechanism dedicated to raising awareness of a particular topic or theme of global interest or concern, and mobilizing different players for coordinated action around the world.
In 2016, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages, based on a recommendation by the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
At the time, the Forum said that 40 per cent of the estimated 6,700 languages spoken around the world were in danger of disappearing. The fact that most of these are indigenous languages puts the cultures and knowledge systems to which they belong at risk.
In addition, indigenous peoples are often isolated both politically and socially in the countries they live in, by the geographical location of their communities, their separate histories, cultures, languages and traditions.
And yet, they are not only leaders in protecting the environment, but their languages represent complex systems of knowledge and communication and should be recognized as a strategic national resource for development, peace building and reconciliation.
They also foster and promote unique local cultures, customs and values which have endured for thousands of years. Indigenous languages add to the rich tapestry of global cultural diversity. Without them, the world would be a poorer place.
Celebrating IYIL2019 will help promote and protect indigenous languages and improve the lives of those who speak them. It will contribute to achieving the objectives set out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development.
The celebration is also expected to strengthen and reinforce the many standard-setting tools adopted by the international community which include specific provisions to promote and protect languages."

"Languagegeek is dedicated to the promotion of indigenous languages – primarily those of North America. By providing the tools which speakers, educators, and learners can use to communicate on-line or in print, the realm of computers will no longer be the sole domain of a few global languages. Whether it be e-mails, web pages, or word processing, computers have the potential to be a powerful means to level the playing field among all of the world’s languages.

Languagegeek provides free fonts and free keyboard layouts which try to cover all of the characters (alphabetical letters/Syllabics) necessary for writing Native languages. Syllabics (Algonquian, Athapaskan, Inuit, Cherokee) take centre stage with type faces in new and innovative styles. Several fonts are also available for those languages which use a Roman orthography but require a number of diacritic marks or special characters. ...Also of interest are the specific language pages, which present the sounds of the language in its various orthographies, along with a brief description of the language and its writing systems. Accompanying texts in the language are included in most cases. "