The Linguist

16 The Linguist Vol/61 No/2 2022 thelinguist.uberflip.com ONLINE INCLUSION Katerina Strani explains why a new app for learning indigenous languages is a critical tool for revitalisation Can we really learn a language from an app? It depends what our expectations are, and what we mean by learning a language. Apps are tools, just like dictionaries or calculators. In the same way that a time management app will not actually complete all of your tasks for you (you have to do this yourself), a language-learning app will not actually teach you a language if you don't put in the work. But such apps are not just there to help you practise and test your performance. In the case of some endangered languages, their role is different, and perhaps more important, as they can help raise awareness of these languages and the cultures of their speakers. This is the idea behind the IndyLan app (Mobile Virtual Learning for Indigenous Languages), developed with the help of EU funding by Heriot-Watt University and four partners in the UK, Norway, Finland and Spain. Users can learn Basque, Cornish, Gaelic, Galician, Northern Saami and Scots if they already speak English, Finnish, Norwegian, Spanish or Swedish. The app is designed for users to learn some of Europe's endangered languages but also more about the cultures and heritage of the people who speak them. What makes it different is the culture tab, which gives information about these cultures through texts, music and images. Áile Javo, the Secretary General of the Saami Council, a partner in the project, often asks, "How can you learn our language if you don't know how we live?" Indeed, languages do not exist in a vacuum; they exist and they develop in societies with real people, landscapes and ecologies. It's important to know this context, and even though it is not possible to capture all of this on an app, acknowledging it is a good start for raising awareness. IndyLan app users can find information about music, festivals, sport, customs and practices in the culture tab, which is available both in the target languages and in the support languages. For example, the Northern Saami culture tab is available in Northern Saami and English. In addition to this, IndyLan includes more than 4,000 vocabulary terms and phrases, dialogues, grammar, tests and aural comprehension in about 100 categories. There is an audio function for all categories, and the wide range of materials – from complete beginners to more advanced – makes it suitable for both learners and competent speakers who need a refresher. Users choose the language they speak and the language they wish to learn more about, select a category, and navigate through the different tabs in an intuitive way. The app was developed in various steps. We started with a needs analysis in all partner countries, and produced a report on the endangered indigenous languages and mobile learning solutions available in each, so that we offered something different and of real value to the target groups. 1 On the basis of the needs analysis, we designed the app around the categories Vocabulary, Phrases and Dialogues, Grammar, Aural Comprehension, Culture, and Tests. The partners then translated about 4,000 vocabulary items, as well as phrases and dialogues, grammar exercises, culture tabs and other exercises. This was no easy task, as there were many untranslatable terms (e.g. there are no words for 'yes' and 'no' in Cornish), terms with complicated translations (e.g. 'to own something' in Gaelic), and terms with more than one translation (such as 'snow' terminology in Saami). Once we developed the material in all languages, we tested the app internally and externally with users of all levels. This feedback helped us to tweak the app at these final stages, to make further changes and fix bugs. DEFINING 'INDIGENOUS' The idea for this app came from a previous project my Heriot-Watt team were involved in called Moving Languages, which designed an app for the linguistic and cultural inclusion of newly arrived migrants and refugees. 2 Feedback from Moving Languages showed that there was an interest in learning all the languages of host countries, not just the dominant ones. So we started looking for partners who would be interested in SAVED BY THE APP?

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