WeSay
WeSay helpim ol man we no save langwis bilong lingusistik bilong buildim dikseneri long ol lanwis. Em i gat ol kain ways we helpim ol man we save tok long ol lanwis bilong thinkim wud long ol lanwis na enterim ol basic data long ol. Program i customizable na task-oriented, givim ability long advisor blong turn on/off tasks olsem needim na olsem user receive training long ol tasks.
WeSay use standard XML format na em i save exchange automatic long ol tools blong linguist olsem Fieldworks Language Explorer (FLEx). Users can collaborate via USB flash drive, email, na network connections.
Ol Skrin
Around the world, speakers of lesser-known languages are eager to develop their own languages. Part of that development will mean collecting stories for publication and developing dictionaries. In many cases, they are limited to working without the help of a computer. This is a difficult environment for computer use, as there is often:
- No previous computer exposure
- No local computer training or maintenance
- Limited electricity
- Limited or non-existent connection to the internet
- Dusty, wet, hot, humid conditions
WeSay is an Open Source project aimed at providing computer tools to help communities perform several language development activities on their own. The project develops tools that are simple, task-oriented, and available on hardware appropriate to the environment. At the same time, these tools enable data sharing with advisors running more traditional, high-powered linguistic and publishing software. The idea is to empower communities to do their own high-quality data gathering, leaving the more technical aspects of publishing to more traditional platforms.
WeSay will be of interest in those situations where native speakers are ready to play a direct, ongoing role in the construction of a dictionary and collection/transcription of stories in their own language, using something other than paper.
WeSay has various ways to help native speakers to think of words in their language and enter some basic data (no backslash codes, just forms to fill in). They can make local, simple printouts for local use, checking, and peer review. The program supports the sharing of gathered words via USB key or email (where available).
