Mixed reality is a technology still in its infancy; however, I see great potential for teaching second languages, specifically Indigenous languages. I envision being able to teach plant names, place names, medicine gathering and other cultural place based activities through technologies such as these. Many Indigenous people do not live close to their territory and would still like to learn their language and be able to learn their language in a place based setting. This technology is likely a long way off from being accessible to a majority of institutions; however, the benefits could be great.
This video goes further in depth into the work of Michael Running Wolf, from my Module 3 Post 3, as well as the work of his wife Caroline Running Wolf, who is pursuing a PhD in Anthropology at UBC, studying the potential application of XR technologies in the revitalization of Indigenous languages. This video is filled with valuable information regarding the challenges and potential solutions with technology and Indigenous languages.
One of the highlights that I found particularly interesting was that Michael Running Wolf and his colleagues had found a way to “fork” the coding of open source AI technologies to incorporate Indigenous languages. They had found that most AI technologies were incredibly biased to the western world and specifically California, where google headquarters is located. They had to find a way to use the existing technology and adapt it to the different Indigenous languages they were working with. Furthermore, the complexity of polysynthetic languages in how they have no finite dictionary, as there are virtually an infinite combination of root words, prefixes, suffixes etc.
Te reo Maori Speech Recognition: A Story of Community, Trust and Sovereignty
The work that the Maori people have done over the years to preserve their language is truly an inspiration. The Maori along with Hawaiians have been leading the way in Indigenous language revitalization for a very long time. This is another example of how they are leading the way and continue to be an inspiration for many people working in Indigenous language revitalization.
Speech recognition software
Te Hiku Media which is a charitable media organization, collectively belonging to the Far North iwi of Ngāti Kuri, Te Aupouri, Ngai Takoto, Te Rārawa and Ngāti Kahu has adapted existing open sourced speech recognition software to understand the Maori language Te Reo Maori. This type of work is essential to developing virtual worlds where people can learn Indigenous languages. For example, if a virtual person in a metaverse type of environment was programmed to understand an Indigenous language with the speech recognition software, and could in turn speak back in said Indigenous language, a person could practice speaking in a virtual world as much as they wanted.
Data Sovereignty
Data sovereignty is another very important topic that is touched on in this video. Kaitiakitanga License is a license that Te Hiku Media is working on in order to protect their data. Their goal is to have only Maori led organizations and initiatives have access to their data, at least initially. They would also return a portion of profits made from the data back to the communities from which the data came.
As a person teaching an Indigenous language, I find the potential for VR and XR to be used as tools for teaching Indigenous languages to be quite fascinating. I think there is a lot of potential to enhance the learning experiences of students by using these XR technologies. In person language classes are a great way to learn; however, students interested in learning their Indigenous language are often not located near where the classes are held. XR technologies offer a potential to bring a learning experience that is more tangible to the online learner. As XR technology improves, there may be potential to teach plant names or place names while the learner is in a Mixed Reality environment that allows the learner to ‘see’ and ‘interact’ with the plants and or place names. The article below shows how Georgian College is now using VR to teach Anishnaabemowin. The youtube video link is from the Immersive Learning Research Network World Conference 2021.