[Wikipedia-l] Wikipedia in Cebuano

[katimawan .]

I express my support for the Cebuano Wikipedia, representing a language that is one of the two most widely spoken indigenous in the Philippines (the other being Tagalog).  As has been mentioned here, it is about time that the non-Tagalog Philippine languages be given their own Wikipedias.  The leading Philippine languages are spoken by millions of speakers, and according to many experts, a population of one million entitles a language group to a university.  Wikipedia can be the encyclopedia in these languages.  
 
All Philippine languages have been declining relative to Tagalog for decades, and a Wikipedia in the major languages would help intellectualize them and raise their prestige among their speakers, especially the younger generation.  This goes for Cebuano as well as for my native Kapampangan, for which I have also proposed a Wikipedia.  The snowballing move to offer them in schools once again (their use in the educational system was abolished shortly after the declaration of martial law), and help ensure their revival, will gain momentum if they are given this recognition by the people behind Wikipedia (right now, Cebuano is being used as the medium of instruction in selected schools in the first two grades of primary school in Cebu; in Pampanga, the city government of the capital of San Fernando starts offering Kapampangan as a subject at all levels of elementary school this June).  Wikipedia has the power to help revitalize languages, which may otherwise be in danger of declining and
 eventually disappearing.  People have been talking about preserving or reviving languages while there is still time, rather than waiting until it's too late.  That is why the requests come with a special sense of urgency and passion in them.  Here, with the Philippine languages, is a clear opportunity for Wiki to make a difference.  Let's not waste it.  
 
Edwin
   
> Message: 7
> Date: Sun, 19 Jun 2005 13:39:18 -0700
> From: Mark Williamson 
> Subject: Re: [Wikipedia-l] Wikipedia in Cebuano
> To: wikipedia-l at wikimedia.org
> Message-ID: <849f98ed0506191339251cb18c at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

> That is because the people who are responsible for the creation of new
> Wikipedias do not keep their eye on the appropriate channels. The last
> two Wikipedias that were created, I requested personally from Brion on
> IRC (os: and fur:).

> The last time a Wikipedia was created quickly was for tum.wikipedia.
> And tum.wikipedia didn't have very good chances.

> Mark

> On 19/06/05, Boris Lohnzweiger wrote:
> 
> I am not sure who is in fact responsible for this but I noticed no new 
> Wikipedias have been set up for quite a few months now. The Cebuano 
> editors are so committed. Their request should be given the highest priority. > They shouldn't be kept hanging on the line anymore!
> 
> Boris
> 

		
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