[Foundation-l] Allow new wikis in extinct languages?

[Mark Williamson]

This is essentially my position.

However, there is a line to be crossed - when we are writing a
language based on existing materials, and when we are writing in a
language that we have made up. A Gothic or Anglo-Saxon Wikipedia could
possibly stay on the proper side of this line, but a Sumerian
Wikipedia probably could not and a Carian Wikipedia definitely could
not.

Mark

On 02/04/2008, White Cat <wikipedia.kawaii.neko at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Sun, Mar 30, 2008 at 12:10 AM, Jesse Martin (Pathoschild) <
>  pathoschild at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>  > Hello,
>  >
>  > The language subcommittee only allows languages that have a living
>  > native community (except Wikisource, due to its archivist nature).
>  > This is based on an interpretation of the Wikimedia Foundation mission
>  > to "provide the sum of human knowledge to every human being". Thus,
>  > the overriding purpose of allowing a wiki in a new language is to make
>  > it accessible to more human beings. If a language has no native users,
>  > allowing a wiki in that language does not fit our mission because it
>  > does not make that project accessible to more human beings. Instead, a
>  > wiki in their native languages should be requested if it doesn't
>  > already exist.
>  >
>  > Typically, the users requesting a wiki in an extinct language don't
>  > want to provide educational material to more people at all, but only
>  > want to promote or revive the language. While these are noble goals,
>  > they are not those of the Wikimedia Foundation, so that a wiki should
>  > not be created simply to fulfill them.
>  >
>  > But that is my opinion. What do you think; should wikis be allowed in
>  > every extinct language?
>  >
>  > --
>  > Yours cordially,
>  > Jesse Plamondon-Willard (Pathoschild)
>  >
>  >
>
> If there are people willing to develop and administer the language edition
>  of the encyclopedia, sure. At worst it is their time to waste. Such users
>  should be willing to operate the wiki as in take care of vandalism and etc.
>
>  If the wiki somehow successfully resurrects a dead language, no harm done.
>  It would be great publicity too. I see this as a no risk endeavored we
>  should take.
>
>  The role of the language subcommittee in my view should be to determine
>  weather or not there is enough of a community to launch a new language
>  edition of a project.
>
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