Watch Your Language: Preserving Dialects with Phonemica

Much of our cultural identities are learned through the songs, poems, and stories of our ancestors. But, let’s be honest, sometimes it’s hard to know what the hell Grandma is talking about. The problem is made much worse if Grandma speaks differently from the kids at school or the people on TV.

According to my friend Wikipedia, “(languages) are currently disappearing at an accelerated rate due to the processes of globalization and neo-colonialism, where the economically powerful languages dominate other languages.” Luckily, Phonemica, a project launched in May 2012, is working to protect the thousands of dialects and language varieties spoken throughout China, which are now in danger as more and more Chinese speak standard Mandarin at school and work.

Volunteers work to interview storytellers and eventually put the interview online with translations in English and standard Mandarin. The recordings are thus preserved for future generations looking to learn about their cultural identity, as well as linguists following the history and evolution of the Chinese language.

If you want to help fight the demons of globalization and neo-colonialism, or if you just don’t want another language to go extinct, contact Phonemica to help with recording, transcribing, or anything else you may be able to offer.

Photo: Matthew Stinson on Flickr