Dimapur, October 8 (MExN): Ao vernacular daily Tir Yimyim has called for volunteers from the Ao community to contribute towards building an Ao Wikipedia, coinciding with the completion of 23 years of its publication.
The initiative aims to preserve the Ao language in the digital age and make its use more accessible to younger internet users.
According to Tir Yimyim, an online user had initiated the process of developing an Ao Wikipedia in 2007, but the effort subsequently stalled. The initiative was recently revived following a proposal by Tsüngrojungla Walling of Sungratsü village, an MPhil research student in Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge.
With the support of Tir Yimyim, Walling formed a team comprising Imcharenla Longchar, Noktichung B Ozüküm, Repatemsü Jamir and Watisen Aier.
The team said the project has two main objectives — preservation of the Ao language for the digital age and making knowledge freely accessible to all.
The Ao Wikipedia is currently being developed through Wikimedia's Incubator, where new language editions are hosted until they meet requirements for becoming full Wikipedia editions.
The team has appealed to individuals who can write on different subjects to volunteer and contribute articles. Contributors will need to create a Wikipedia account and learn the process of uploading and editing articles. Articles are expected to be written in a neutral, impartial and apolitical tone.
The team expressed concern that increasing use of English in digital communication could weaken the transmission of Ao among younger generations.
It said a digital encyclopaedia could provide a free educational resource while helping document Ao history, oral traditions, culture and worldview from the community's own perspective.
The initiative also seeks to encourage collaboration between elders, language experts and younger people in developing vocabulary for modern concepts and expanding the language's digital presence.
Volunteers and prospective writers have been invited to contact the team at [email protected].
The appeal was issued by K Temjen Jamir, Editor, Tir Yimyim.
