On Wed, Jun 3, 2015 at 5:48 PM, Sylvain Mailler
<sylvain.mailler(a)gmail.com> wrote:
Kichwa is a language with some teaching and some
written documents, and several hundred thousand speakers. It is not an endangered
language, but it is somehow a "dominated language".
I think this would be the case with many South American languages that
are "in good shape". Thus, Kichwa is a paradigmatic example.
This is contrary to the Wikimedia guidelines so far
(
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/List_of_articles_every_Wikipedia_should_have). However, I
agree that this would be the correct approach for indigenous languages
The list of "eventualist nature": Every Wikipedia should have those
articles at some point of time. That doesn't assume that those
articles should be written first, but just then everything else. Then,
those are the recommendations, not the rules. And if it's about the
rules -- as it is not -- they could be changed. And if they couldn't
be changed, this is very good reason to do one systemic IAR, as the
rules don't reflect reality.
2) In a year
or so start writing the most basic scientific articles. I think we should start with the
primary school knowledge, maybe even move to build the textbooks into the future Kichwa
Wikibooks. After we complete it, it would be possible for Kichwa children to be educated
in their native language.
Actually there is a (imperfect) system of bilingual schools in Ecuador in
indigenous areas. I guess this includes textbooks for primary school level (so it would be
the other way round compared to what you describe). I don't have some books right now,
and I live in France, but I can use a next trip to Ecuador to find some. I agree that it
would be a very good base.
It's even better then! We have the concepts from the primary school
textbooks, which means that we could eventually add them into
Wikipedia. So, a half of the second step has been already done :) It's
always good to hear something like that!
It was 100% done in 2011 (for the "core
messages" or whatever the requisite was). However, the messages have evolved and if I
check it right now, many messages are now "deprecated". This would not be such a
big work to actualize it however.
https://translatewiki.net/w/i.php?title=Special:Translate&language=qug&…
Actually, if I go to the incubator even now, the main messages in the interface seem to
work in kichwa.
The list of articles is here :
https://incubator.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:PrefixIndex/Wp/qug
There was a request for a wikipedia in kichwa in 2011 which somehow got stalled, which I
think is a pity :
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Requests_for_new_languages/Wikipedia_Kichwa
It's good to hear that it's not an issue. Now, the work on the project
should be pushed and after few months of sustainable activity the
project could be approved.
Thank you very much for your interest !
I think Wikipedia can be a powerful tool for developing indigenous languages and permit
them to gain prestige in their own country (where they are usually despised with the
notable exception of the Guarani in Paraguay). This would be a beautiful achievement of
the WM foundation.
We share the position. I think that every living language with
Wikipedia will survive. And my bold idea is that we are able to save
~3000 languages in the next 30 to 50 years.
The priority in that process should be the languages like Kichwa is: A
vital language with hundreds of thousands of speakers and without any
serious issue which forbids it to be inserted into the computers. Such
languages need just our interest and good will.