Archive for February 2023

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[Commlist] Call for Chapters: Indigenous Language Preservation and Promotion through Digital Media Technology in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Mon Feb 06 15:23:31 GMT 2023






Call for Chapters for an edited volume: Indigenous Language Preservation and Promotion through Digital Media Technology in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (*no payment from the authors* will be required)

Editors:  Prof. Fulufhelo Oscar Makananise (PhD), Associate Professor, University of South Africa (UNISA)

 Dr. Shumani Eric Madima (PhD), Senior Lecturer, University of Venda (UNIVEN)

Targeted publisher: Lexington Books

 Introduction Every revolution brings technological opportunities, challenges, and threats in different areas of life, including media, society, and indigenous languages. Indigenous languages are those native languages spoken by local people in their respective societies or communities. In most cases, these are languages that have not been recognised as business languages for centuries because they are not known for activities that sustain a society and its environment on a global scale. In addition, Madingiza (2020) noted that the above view has led some speakers of indigenous languages to consider their languages as less important than the languages of settlers. Whereas Lor (2012), supported by Lucibella (2023), pointed out that an estimated half of the 7,000 documented languages spoken worldwide are at high risk of being lost or disappearing in the coming decades or century. Lucibella (2023) further asserted that between 1950 and 2021, approximately 230 languages worldwide have disappeared from human memory. Furthermore, PanSALB (2022) added that most countries are home to many endangered indigenous languages and the struggle for their survival requires resources and a rigorous commitment to the preservation and promotion of these languages. Wetzel (2018) emphasized that a language is only endangered when its speakers never use it or use it in fewer areas of communication and it can no longer be passed on from one generation to the next. These languages, which suffered from unreasonable colonial laws in the past, now face the inimitable challenge of adapting to a rapidly changing technological age, threats, and opportunities of the 4IR (Mpungose, 2020). In addition, the concern of language loss, also known as linguicide, is felt around the world due to globalization and technological innovations. This has led to unrest and the need to promote and preserve these languages through digital media formats, especially in the fourth industrial revolution, also known as 4IR. As a result, scholarly debates and discourses have erupted among academics and researchers from various disciplines such as media, communication, journalism, and languages to discuss the current status quo of indigenous languages in the era of 4IR. In addition, most world organizations such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Decade have recognized and supported the need for indigenous peoples to preserve, revitalize and promote their indigenous languages and to incorporate aspects of linguistic diversity and multilingualism into sustainable development efforts. The 4IR or Industry 4.0 is characterized by an exponential pace of technological developments such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and social media, to name a few. In the last two decades, there has been an increased interest in how digital technologies support the promotion, revitalization, preservation, and reclamation of indigenous languages (Galla, 2016). This is because language is central to the operation and use of these new technologies (Ndzendze, 2020). However, the key questions in this book are: are indigenous languages fully integrated into digital media technologies? Have we effectively digitized, promoted, and preserved them to adapt to the ever-evolving virtual environment? Are our languages integrated into the 4IR as they migrate into the digital space? For indigenous languages to not only survive but thrive in the ever-changing technological era, our language policies must effectively capture the zeitgeist and adapt to ensure their longevity, development, promotion, and preservation. Moreover, it has become clear that, in contrast, little and inadequate attention has been paid to the development, preservation, and promotion of indigenous languages in the 4IR. However, this book would provide an opportunity for academics and researchers to submit chapter proposals in the areas of language development, preservation, revitalization, and promotion through digital media technologies in the 4IR. This book would also bring together the expertise of media scholars, communication scholars, journalists, linguists, and practitioners to offer well-rounded debates on digital media transformation and the promotion and preservation of indigenous languages in the age of the 4IR. The immense contribution of the authors offers first-hand insights, guidance, strategic guidelines, and key research findings that encompass emerging case studies in the wake of digital technology, indigenous languages, and 4IR. The result is book chapters that present both new findings and core studies on relevant topics in digital media transformation and Indigenous languages in the 4IR. With this in mind, we invite original contributions that address these issues using a wide range of theoretical and methodological approaches. This would not only be impartial, but also a sign of respect for nations and societies previously disadvantaged by the legacy of colonialism and capitalism.

  Recommended topics/Themes

- Afrocentric perceptions, indigenous language preservation, and digital media;
- Changes in digital communication and language change in 4IR;
  - Decolonizing Indigenous Languages Research and Methodologies in 4IR;
- Digital economic development, indigenous languages, and the 4IR;
- Digital indigenization and decolonization of indigenous languages in the 4IR;
- Digital language technologies and content production;
- Digital Media Activism and Indigenous Languages;
- Digital media and indigenous language revitalization in the 4IR;
- Digital media inequalities and language preservation in the 4IR;
- Digital Media Technology, Indigenous Language Advancement, and the 4IR; - Digital Media, Language Development and Society;
  - Digital Newspapers, Indigenous Languages, and the 4IR;
- Global Initiatives for Digital Preservation of Indigenous Languages in the 4IR;
- Indigenous language development and preservation in the age of the 4IR;
- Indigenous language preservation through digital media in the 4IR; - Indigenous Languages and Social Development;
- Indigenous Media Languages and the 4IR;
- Innovative, digital media practices and language use;
- Language practices, social media and the 4IR;
- Language technology and endangered languages in the 4IR
- Indigenous language development and preservation policy in the 4IR,
- Technological developments and language preservation in the 4IR;
- The Internet of Things, Indigenous languages, and the 4IR.

Submission details:

Interested authors are invited to submit an abstract of 300-350 words and a short biography of all authors. The abstract should succinctly state the aim of the study, the theoretical/conceptual framework, and the methodological approaches used. All submissions should be forwarded to Prof. Fulufhelo Oscar Makananise ((omakananise5 /at/ gmail.com) <mailto:(omakananise5 /at/ gmail.com)>) and Dr. Shumani Eric Madima ((ericmadima /at/ gmail.com) <mailto:(ericmadima /at/ gmail.com)>).

  Important Dates:
 Deadline for abstracts submission: 28 February 2023
 Notification of abstract acceptance or rejection: 15 March 2023
   Submission of full chapters: 30 June 2023
   Reviewer’s feedback to authors: 28 July 2023
 Submission of revised manuscripts: 25 August 2023
 Expected date of publication: 31 December 2023
Targeted Publisher: Lexington Books

  References
Galla, C.K. (2016). Indigenous language revitalisation, promotion, and education: Function of digital technology. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 29(7), 1137-1151.

Lor, P. (2012). Preserving, developing and promoting indigenous languages: things South African librarians can do. Journal of Appropriate Librarianship and Information Work in Southern Africa, 45(1), 28-50.

Lucibella, M. (2023). Preserving endangered languages as 3D shapes. (Date accessed, January, 27, 2023).

Madingiza, T.S. (2020). Indigenous languages must be celebrated. This is why. (Date accessed, January 26, 2023).

Ndzendze, B. 2020. The fourth industrial revolution and its implications for African languages. Department of Politics and International Relations, Centre for Africa-China Studies, University of Johannesburg, South Africa.

PanSALB, (2022). The survival of African languages in a digital era. (Date accessed, January 29, 2023).

Wetzel, A. (2018). Preserving linguistic diversity in the digital world. Multilingual, 1-6.
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