Preserving the languages ​​of ethnic minorities

(Quang Ngai Newspaper) - Promoting the application of digital technology to build a database of ethnic minority languages ​​is an urgent requirement to preserve the languages ​​of ethnic minorities in our province from the risk of extinction.

The first digital database of languages.

Our province has approximately 187,000 ethnic minority people. Of these, more than 166,300 are Hrê and Co ethnic groups. A worrying issue is the gradual decline of the Hrê and Co languages. To learn and study the Hrê and Co languages, learners spend a lot of time searching for textbooks and research materials or participating in training courses led by experts before they can read and pronounce them. In response to this situation, in 2022, the Quang Ngai Information Technology and Communications Center (under the Department of Information and Communications) collaborated with the Provincial Ethnic Affairs Committee to develop an electronic database of ethnic minority languages ​​in Vietnam – Hrê and Co. This is the first digital database of ethnic minority languages ​​in our province.

The Quang Ngai Information and Communication Technology Center organized a training course to guide civil servants and teachers in Tra Bong district on using the electronic database software for ethnic minority languages. (Photo: Provided by the Center)

According to Master Tran Duy Linh - Director of the Quang Ngai Information Technology and Communications Center (project leader), the Hre and Co people both have their own languages, sharing the commonality of belonging to the Mon-Khmer language group (Austroasiatic language family). Before 1975, they had their own writing systems, using the Latin alphabet to transcribe their spoken language. This writing system was once widely used but is no longer in use. Given this context, the challenge is how to enable ethnic minority people to speak and write Vietnamese fluently while also using their own ethnic language. Simultaneously, Kinh people working and living in districts with large ethnic minority populations can communicate with the local people in their native languages. Furthermore, the project aims to preserve and promote the value of the languages ​​and traditional culture of ethnic minorities in the context of ongoing integration.

Tran Duy Linh, Director of the Quang Ngai Information Technology and Communications Center, has successfully built an electronic database of the Vietnamese-Hre and Vietnamese-Co languages ​​of ethnic minorities. Photo: MY DUYEN

After more than two years of project implementation, the Project Management Board has completed the construction of an electronic database of the Hrê and Co languages ​​and applied artificial intelligence (AI) speech recognition technology to identify Hrê and Co languages. The project's implementation simultaneously addressed three challenges: data digitization, electronic database construction, and AI application. To build the database of ethnic minority languages, the Project Management Board relied on Hrê and Co language data from two documents: "Training and Development of Hrê Language (for officials and civil servants in mountainous areas and ethnic affairs in Quang Ngai province)" and "Bai hok Apok Kool (Co Language Lessons)," combined with surveys and field research in mountainous districts to collect frequently used Vietnamese, Hrê, and Co vocabulary. From this, they digitized and standardized the corresponding words to create a Vietnamese-Hrê and Vietnamese-Co electronic database. From the established database, the project team successfully developed an electronic database software that can be used on electronic devices such as computers and smartphones, for the purpose of semantic lookup between Vietnamese and Hrê, and Vietnamese and Co languages. Currently, the Vietnamese-Hrê, Vietnamese-Co electronic database software can be accessed on the website at csdlhreco.nuian.vn and the mobile application “Hrê - Co - Việt” running on both Android and iOS platforms.

Interface of the electronic database software for the Vietnamese-Hre and Vietnamese-Co ethnic minority languages. Photo: MY DUYEN

“The process of deploying the database of ethnic minority languages ​​faced many difficulties. This is because the pronunciation of the Hrê and Co people in the mountainous districts of the province has different characteristics. Although they are all Hrê ethnic minority people, the Hrê people in Ba Tơ and Sơn Hà districts have some words pronounced differently, even though they are synonymous. Therefore, we spent a lot of time researching documents, collecting data from many different voices, and seeking input from experts on digitization and applying artificial intelligence to build a bilingual Vietnamese-Hrê and Vietnamese-Co vocabulary database, so that the process of searching for ethnic minority languages ​​using voice is optimized,” Mr. Trần Duy Linh shared.

"The electronic database of the Vietnamese-Hrê and Vietnamese-Co ethnic minority languages ​​is a digital vocabulary repository of the Hrê and Co languages, helping native speakers to consciously preserve and develop their mother tongues. Through this, a comprehensive and authentic information resource is formed, providing accurate materials for current and future generations of researchers. At the same time, it contributes to preserving not only the language but also the unique traditional cultural values ​​of ethnic minorities in the province for future generations. The application of the first online electronic database in the province also contributes to improving people's access to and application of technology, especially in remote areas, contributing to building a digital citizenry, developing a digital society, and joining the general digital transformation trend of the province and the country."

Director of the Department of Construction, former Head of the Board

The ethnic minority of Tran Van Manh province

To date, the project team has completed the construction of an electronic database with over 3,000 Hrê and Co words, hosted on a server installed by the Quang Ngai Information Technology and Communications Center. A website system using an API interface has been developed, allowing for searching and lookup; it includes a word typing function and can handle 3,000 simultaneous connections; and a tool to support typing in the Hrê and Co languages ​​has been created. The electronic database provides features including word meaning translation, pronunciation, illustrative examples, synonyms, near synonyms, and forward and reverse translation between Vietnamese and Hrê, Hrê and Vietnamese; and between Vietnamese and Co and Co and Vietnamese. In addition, there is a channel for receiving user feedback on the electronic database (the "feedback" feature) to collect more linguistic data, further improve the dictionary product, and serve as a basis for other research.

Practical and effective

Recently, the Quang Ngai Information and Communication Technology Center has conducted five training courses on managing and utilizing electronic databases for nearly 300 participants, including officials, civil servants, teachers, and students from five mountainous districts in the province. Ms. Nguyen Thi Yen, a teacher at Son Trung Primary and Secondary School (Son Ha district), shared: "Because I don't know the Hre language, I sometimes don't fully understand the thoughts and aspirations of my students. Through the training course on the electronic database of ethnic minority languages, I learned how to use the software on my phone to look up Hre words and can learn Hre pronunciation anytime, anywhere, saving a lot of time. As a result, the interaction and communication between teacher and students has become closer and more connected."

QR code to download the electronic database application for the Vietnamese-Hre and Vietnamese-Co ethnic minority languages. Photo: MY DUYEN

According to Tran Van Man, Director of the Department of Construction and former Head of the Provincial Ethnic Affairs Committee (co-project leader), the electronic database of ethnic minority languages ​​(Vietnamese-Hre and Vietnamese-Co) has narrowed the communication and language gap between the Kinh people and ethnic minorities, effectively supporting ethnic minority communities in learning and practicing Vietnamese, improving their knowledge, and accessing information in socio-economic , legal, and national defense and security fields. Furthermore, it helps Kinh officials working in ethnic minority areas to understand and communicate more easily, thereby conveying the Party's guidelines and policies, and the State's laws to ethnic minorities, as well as more effectively learning from their experiences and understanding their issues.

PH.DUNG - MY DUYEN

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Source: https://baoquangngai.vn/xa-hoi/202410/bao-ton-tieng-dong-bao-dan-toc-thieu-so-f791b7b/