#africanlanguages — Public Fediverse posts

Can AI chatbots better serve Tonga and Lozi speakers? In this new article, I explore how Retrieval-Augmented Generation can combine existing LLMs with open-source language data to build more useful local-language assistants. Read more: https://aiengineeringzm.blogspot.com/2026/03/building-ai-chatbots-for-tonga-and-lozi.html #AI #RAG #AfricanLanguages

On an off chance, has anybody here ever worked with the Sango language? Or with Krahn? I'm looking for a paragraph or so of text with English translation, ideally in the writing system in use in the language community. Please let me know if you've ever worked with one of these. #Linguistics #AfricanLanguages

On an off chance, has anybody here ever worked with the Sango language? Or with Krahn? I'm looking for a paragraph or so of text with English translation, ideally in the writing system in use in the language community. Please let me know if you've ever worked with one of these. #Linguistics #AfricanLanguages

Is there any relationship between the Mande word 'jugu' for 'dangerous' and 'juju' in other west African (mostly thinking Igbo but I've heard the word used by other speakers so I suspect it's either not actually Igbo, or one of those 'pan-African' terms) languages?

#linguistics #AfricanLanguages #AfricanHistory #etymology

Is there any relationship between the Mande word 'jugu' for 'dangerous' and 'juju' in other west African (mostly thinking Igbo but I've heard the word used by other speakers so I suspect it's either not actually Igbo, or one of those 'pan-African' terms) languages?

#linguistics #AfricanLanguages #AfricanHistory #etymology

Nigerian blockchain leader advocates AI to save African languages - The use of blockchain and AI for improvement in various areas of society... - https://cointelegraph.com/news/ai-blockchain-preserve-african-languages #languagepreservation #endangeredlanguages #africanlanguages #techinnovation #blockchain #nigeria #lingoai #biccon #ai

Nigerian blockchain leader advocates AI to save African languages - The use of blockchain and AI for improvement in various areas of society... - https://cointelegraph.com/news/ai-blockchain-preserve-african-languages #languagepreservation #endangeredlanguages #africanlanguages #techinnovation #blockchain #nigeria #lingoai #biccon #ai

Now Live:
Join us at the First Keynote of the Design Justice AI Institute - Prof Kwesi Kwaa Prah: “African Languages in an AI World”
https://youtube.com/live/umCNBoBTfL0?feature=share
#DJAI2024 #AfricanLanguages

Now Live:
Join us at the First Keynote of the Design Justice AI Institute - Prof Kwesi Kwaa Prah: “African Languages in an AI World”
https://youtube.com/live/umCNBoBTfL0?feature=share
#DJAI2024 #AfricanLanguages

The CALL call is out! Submission is open for talks at the 53rd annual Colloquium on African Languages and Linguistics here at Leiden University (with online option), 26th-28th Aug 2024 (deadline 1st June)

https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/events/2024/08/53rd-colloquium-on-african-languages-and-linguistics

#linguistics #AfricanLinguistics #AfricanLanguages

The CALL call is out! Submission is open for talks at the 53rd annual Colloquium on African Languages and Linguistics here at Leiden University (with online option), 26th-28th Aug 2024 (deadline 1st June)

https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/events/2024/08/53rd-colloquium-on-african-languages-and-linguistics

#linguistics #AfricanLinguistics #AfricanLanguages

Repost from the African Linguistics School:

"We are pleased to announce that ALS7 will take place at the University of Education, Winneba in Ghana from July 22 to August 2, 2024! Applications are now open!"

(Applications open until 31st March)

https://sites.google.com/view/als6/apply

#linguistics #AfricanLanguages #AfricanLinguistics @linguistics

Repost from the African Linguistics School:

"We are pleased to announce that ALS7 will take place at the University of Education, Winneba in Ghana from July 22 to August 2, 2024! Applications are now open!"

(Applications open until 31st March)

https://sites.google.com/view/als6/apply

#linguistics #AfricanLanguages #AfricanLinguistics @linguistics

@topafricatrends
Cool fact!

But it's not the only writing system specially adapted to an African language. Another example is the Vai syllabary: https://omniglot.com/writing/vaisyllabary.htm

#WritingSystem #AfricanLanguages

@topafricatrends
Cool fact!

But it's not the only writing system specially adapted to an African language. Another example is the Vai syllabary: https://omniglot.com/writing/vaisyllabary.htm

#WritingSystem #AfricanLanguages

https://archive.org/details/ngugi-lol

The Language of Languages: Reflections on Translation by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

Topics
#translation, #literarytranslation, #linguistics, #sociolinguistics, #colonialism, #Africanlanguages, #PanAfricanism, #languagepolicy, #languagepolicies

With clear, conversational prose, this is the first book dedicated entirely to Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s writings on translation.

Through his many critically acclaimed novels, stories, essays, plays, and memoirs, Kenyan writer Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o has been at the forefront of world literature for decades. He has also been, in his own words, “a language warrior,” fighting for indigenous African languages to find their rightful place in the literary world. Having begun his writing career in English, Ngũgĩ shifted to writing in his native language Gikũyũ in 1977, a stance both creatively and politically significant. For decades now, Ngũgĩ has been translating his Gikũyũ works into English himself, and he has used many platforms to champion the practice and cause of literary translations, which he calls “the language of languages.”

https://archive.org/details/ngugi-lol

The Language of Languages: Reflections on Translation by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

Topics
#translation, #literarytranslation, #linguistics, #sociolinguistics, #colonialism, #Africanlanguages, #PanAfricanism, #languagepolicy, #languagepolicies

With clear, conversational prose, this is the first book dedicated entirely to Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s writings on translation.

Through his many critically acclaimed novels, stories, essays, plays, and memoirs, Kenyan writer Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o has been at the forefront of world literature for decades. He has also been, in his own words, “a language warrior,” fighting for indigenous African languages to find their rightful place in the literary world. Having begun his writing career in English, Ngũgĩ shifted to writing in his native language Gikũyũ in 1977, a stance both creatively and politically significant. For decades now, Ngũgĩ has been translating his Gikũyũ works into English himself, and he has used many platforms to champion the practice and cause of literary translations, which he calls “the language of languages.”

https://archive.org/details/awing-english

Awing - English Dictionary and English - Awing Index by Alomofor Christian

Topics
#Mbɨ́ɨwiŋə, #Awing, #Mbwewi, #Cameroon, #Kamerun, #bilingualdictionary, #bilingualdictionaries, #translationdictionary, #translationdictionaries, #Africanlanguages, #indigenouslanguages, #languagesofCameroon, #languagesofKamerun, #languagesofAfrica

CABTAL (Cameroon Association for Bible Translation and Literacy), Yaoundé.

https://archive.org/details/awing-english

Awing - English Dictionary and English - Awing Index by Alomofor Christian

Topics
#Mbɨ́ɨwiŋə, #Awing, #Mbwewi, #Cameroon, #Kamerun, #bilingualdictionary, #bilingualdictionaries, #translationdictionary, #translationdictionaries, #Africanlanguages, #indigenouslanguages, #languagesofCameroon, #languagesofKamerun, #languagesofAfrica

CABTAL (Cameroon Association for Bible Translation and Literacy), Yaoundé.

https://archive.org/details/indigenous-languages-of-cameroon

Indigenous Languages of Cameroon by Emmanuel N. Chia

Topics
#Cameroon, #Kamerun, #linguistics, #sociolinguistics, #Africanlanguages, #Africanlinguistics, #languagesofCameroon, #languagesofKamerun, #indigenouslanguages, #indigenouslinguistics

Paper is undated; the most recent citations within are dated 1981.

https://archive.org/details/indigenous-languages-of-cameroon

Indigenous Languages of Cameroon by Emmanuel N. Chia

Topics
#Cameroon, #Kamerun, #linguistics, #sociolinguistics, #Africanlanguages, #Africanlinguistics, #languagesofCameroon, #languagesofKamerun, #indigenouslanguages, #indigenouslinguistics

Paper is undated; the most recent citations within are dated 1981.

Today's to-do list at the Interpreters' Co-op...

- write to an agency about #africanlanguages
- finalize contracts and start composing a letter about them
- arrange to be on the radio
- consider a national gathering of interpreter co-ops

Today's to-do list at the Interpreters' Co-op...

- register with the state of Minnesota as a (potential) vendor
- prepare to sign a thick contract with the county to be even more official than we already are
- keep looking for #africanlanguages

Can people engage in debates about digitisation using indigenous languages? How does linguistic colonialism manifest itself in digital technologies? What are the implications of digital platform use for the future of African languages?

Looking forward to this online event on "African languages and technological transformations: debating knowledge, rights and power on a digital continent":
http://kingsdh.net/2023/02/23/africa-week/

#digitalhumanities #digitalculture #digitalrights #platformstudies #colonialism #linguisticcolonialism #decolonisation #language #africanlanguages #commodon #mediastudies #internetstudies #africaweek

Can people engage in debates about digitisation using indigenous languages? How does linguistic colonialism manifest itself in digital technologies? What are the implications of digital platform use for the future of African languages?

Looking forward to this online event on "African languages and technological transformations: debating knowledge, rights and power on a digital continent":
http://kingsdh.net/2023/02/23/africa-week/

#digitalhumanities #digitalculture #digitalrights #platformstudies #colonialism #linguisticcolonialism #decolonisation #language #africanlanguages #commodon #mediastudies #internetstudies #africaweek

https://archive.org/details/ocean-of-letters

Ocean of Letters: Language and Creolization in an Indian Ocean Diaspora by Pier M. Larson

Topics
#IndianOcean, #history, #Africanhistory, #historyofAfrica, #Madagascar, #Comoros, #theComoros, #SouthAfrica, #Azania, #Malagasydiaspora, #Malagasy, #Africanliterature, #literatureofAfrica, #imperialism, #colonialism, #antiblackness, #slavery, #slavetrade, #blackchattelslavery, #linguistics, #sociolinguistics, #Africanlanguages, #languagesofAfrica

https://archive.org/details/ocean-of-letters

Ocean of Letters: Language and Creolization in an Indian Ocean Diaspora by Pier M. Larson

Topics
#IndianOcean, #history, #Africanhistory, #historyofAfrica, #Madagascar, #Comoros, #theComoros, #SouthAfrica, #Azania, #Malagasydiaspora, #Malagasy, #Africanliterature, #literatureofAfrica, #imperialism, #colonialism, #antiblackness, #slavery, #slavetrade, #blackchattelslavery, #linguistics, #sociolinguistics, #Africanlanguages, #languagesofAfrica

@danie10
Ps. pls invite Phumzile Phago over :)

ps2. is there a #languages mastodon yet?

#language #africa #african #languages #africanlanguages
#bantu #tsonga #xhosa #zulu

#Lanfrica aims to curate #AfricanLanguage resources. https://lanfrica.com

#AfricanLanguages

Call for papers

Third workshop on Resources for African Indigenous Language (RAIL) https://www.sadilar.org/index.php/en/2-general/329-third-workshop-on-resources-for-african-indigenous-language-rail

Suggested topics include the following:
* Digital representations of linguistic structures
* Descriptions of corpora or other data sets of African indigenous languages
* Building resources for (under resourced) African indigenous languages
* Developing and using African indigenous languages in the digital age...

#AfricanIndigenousLanguages #DigitallySmallLanguages #AfricanLanguages

The seventh conference on Machine Translation, #WMT22,

has a "Shared Task": Large-Scale Machine Translation Evaluation for [24] African Languages https://statmt.org/wmt22/large-scale-multilingual-translation-task.html

"We do so by introducing a high quality benchmark, paired with a fair and rigorous evaluation procedure."

#MachineTranslation #AfricanLanguages #LowResourceLanguages