Quang Ngai: Preserving ethnic minority languages with electronic databases

It can be said that language is the "soul" of each nation. Most ethnic groups have their own languages, and many have their own writing systems. However, a worrying issue is that the languages of ethnic minorities in Quang Ngai province are at risk of disappearing. Therefore, preserving and safeguarding the languages of ethnic minorities is an urgent matter.

Encouraging ethnic minority students to use their "mother tongue" in communication is one way to preserve their language.

The languages and scripts of ethnic minority groups are at risk of disappearing.

Quang Ngai province has over 200,000 ethnic minority people (approximately 15% of the province's population), including three large ethnic groups: the Hre, Cor, and Ca Dong. Over the years, the Party and State have issued many policies and guidelines to mobilize all resources for socio -economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas. As a result, people's lives have improved, and traditional cultural values have been preserved and promoted. However, the biggest concern today is that ethnic minorities rarely use their own languages.

One of the reasons for the decline of ethnic minority languages is that the formation and transmission of their cultural identity, from ancient times to the present, has largely been through spoken language and oral tradition. In addition, the rapid process of economic development, integration, and cultural exchange has strongly impacted the lives of ethnic minorities. Many ethnic minorities rarely use their mother tongue in daily communication. This leads to a situation where many ethnic minorities, especially young people, cannot understand or speak their mother tongue.

Furthermore, policies regarding the teaching and learning of ethnic minority languages and scripts in educational institutions have not been implemented in the province. This is due to the lack of textbooks for teaching ethnic minority languages in schools, as well as the absence of qualified ethnic minority language teachers as prescribed by the Ministry of Education and Training .

To preserve the languages of ethnic minorities in the province, the Quang Ngai Provincial Department of Internal Affairs has collaborated with Pham Van Dong University to organize classes teaching the languages of ethnic minorities (Hre and Co) to officials, civil servants, teachers, especially those working in mountainous districts.

Fortunately, in the mountainous areas, there are now some dedicated individuals who have devoted considerable effort to preserving their "mother tongue." A prime example is Mr. Ro Dam Binh, from Ba To town, Ba To district, who has diligently researched and contributed to the publication of the book "Training and Development Materials for the Hre Language for Officials and Civil Servants Working in Mountainous Areas and Ethnic Minority Affairs in Quang Ngai Province." This is currently the only official document used for teaching the Hre language in the mountainous districts of Quang Ngai province.

Teaching traditional culture while using one's mother tongue is also a good way to preserve the language.

Learn the Hrê and Co languages using electronic databases.

Quang Ngai province is currently implementing a scientific research project: "Building an electronic database of the Vietnamese-Hre and Vietnamese-Co languages of ethnic minorities." It is known that this project is led by Mr. Tran Duy Linh, M.Sc., Director of the Provincial Information Technology and Communications Center. Co-leader of the project is Mr. Tran Van Man, M.Sc., Director of the Department of Construction and former Head of the Provincial Ethnic Affairs Committee.

The electronic database of ethnic minority languages Vietnamese - Hrê, Vietnamese - Co is a software product of the Quang Ngai province's 2023 science and technology project. This is an electronic dictionary of ethnic minority languages Vietnamese - Hrê, Vietnamese - Co and vice versa, aimed at supporting teaching, learning, and research on the spoken and written languages of the Hrê and Co people.

Accordingly, the electronic database contains over 1,120 Hrê words and 1,650 Co words, allowing for dictionary searches and lookups. All words are translated, pronunciation guides are provided, synonyms are given, illustrative examples are included, and there are images and videos about the customs, traditions, and culture of the Hrê and Co ethnic minority groups. The interface of the trial version of the electronic database of ethnic minority languages (Vietnamese – Hrê, Vietnamese – Co) also includes a tool to support typing in the ethnic languages (Hrê, Co) on the interface; it is designed flexibly, with functions for adding, updating, editing words and images, receiving feedback, and interacting with users… It also allows access and use on various devices such as computers, smartphones, and tablets.

Members of the scientific research project: "Building an electronic database of the languages of ethnic minorities in Vietnam - Hrê and Vietnamese - Co" discussed and provided feedback to finalize the project.

Dr. Hoang Thi My Le, Deputy Head of the Department of Digital Technology, University of Technical Education, Da Nang University, said: Because some tasks could be carried out in parallel without depending on each other, the lead unit and the project team proactively accelerated the progress of the work, specifically three tasks: programming and building functional modules of the web-based database, testing and debugging the electronic database, and updating data into the electronic database. As a result, these tasks were completed 3 to 4 months ahead of schedule.

"To date, the lead organization has resolved the difficulties in 05 delayed tasks and accelerated the progress of other tasks, with 04 tasks already ahead of schedule. The delayed tasks are expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2024. Therefore, the planned tasks will be completed on schedule in the second quarter of 2024," added Dr. Hoang Thi My Le.

According to Mr. Tran Van Man, Director of the Quang Ngai Department of Construction, the establishment of the electronic database of ethnic minority languages (Vietnamese-Hre and Vietnamese-Co) aims to support ethnic minorities in applying information technology, contributing to narrowing the development gap between ethnic regions, promoting socio-economic development, and improving the effectiveness of state management of ethnic affairs at the local level. Furthermore, it helps ethnic minorities learn, improve their knowledge, and integrate with the overall development of the province and the country; it also helps Kinh individuals working with ethnic minorities to understand and communicate more easily, thereby conveying knowledge, policies, and guidelines from the government to ethnic minorities, and gaining a deeper understanding of their experiences and issues.

"Furthermore, the electronic database of the Vietnamese-Hre and Vietnamese-Co ethnic minority languages will be a place to preserve the language, traditional cultural values, images, customs, and practices of ethnic minorities in the province, contributing to the preservation and promotion of the unique traditional values of each ethnic group, and integrating them into the overall development of the country," Mr. Man added.

T.Nhan-H.Truong

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