A five-day workshop aimed at developing digital resources for the Indigenous languages of Nagaland concluded at Tetso College, Sovima on August 22.
Chümoukedima, August 24 (MExN): A five-day workshop aimed at developing digital resources for the Indigenous languages of Nagaland concluded at Tetso College, Sovima on August 22, with a working prototype of the “Nagaland Language Digital Hub” emerging as a key outcome.
The workshop on “Crafting Digital Resources for the Languages of Nagaland” was organised by the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysuru, in collaboration with the Department of Linguistics, Tetso College. A press release received here stated that it was held from August 18 to 22 and brought together linguists, language experts, community resource persons and native speakers.
Twelve languages namely Angami, Ao, Khezha, Khiamniungan, Konyak, Lotha, Phom, Rengma, Sangtam, Sumi, Tikhir and Zeme were selected as a preliminary batch for the workshop wherein, representative of the participating languages worked with linguists and technical resource persons on language-data collection, audio recording, transcription, verification and the development of prototype digital resources.
A major outcome of the workshop was the development of a working prototype of the “Nagaland Language Digital Hub” using language data collected from the participating communities. “The prototype demonstrates how community language materials can be transformed into interactive digital learning activities rather than remaining as static wordlists or recordings,” the release stated.
The prototype currently features 13 digital language-learning games and activities including Picture Match, Word Match, Listen & Choose, Listen & Spell, Word Weave, Spell It, Spot the Spelling, Counting, Memory Cards, Sentence Builder, Body Map, Family Tree and Crossword. These activities are designed for learners at different levels, from children and teenagers to adults and heritage-language learners.
The working prototype was formally demonstrated during the valedictory programme on August 22 in the presence of Dr Hewasa L Khing, Principal, Tetso College, along with workshop participants, resource persons and members of the organising team. The demonstration showed how language data collected from the participating communities could be integrated into interactive digital tools for language learning, it said.
The prototype is intended to provide a model for developing digital resources for other Indigenous languages of Northeast India. The organisers said the present prototype would be further reviewed, tested and refined before the methodology and digital activities are adapted and extended to other languages.
Community participation remained central to the initiative. Native speakers and community resource persons contributed to providing, recording and verifying the language data used in developing the prototype. The workshop brought together community knowledge, linguistic expertise and digital technology to create resources that could be used for language learning and community engagement.
The next phase of the initiative is planned for February 2027, when the prototype and resources developed during the preliminary phase will be further reviewed, refined and developed.
