Language is more than just words—it’s a living link to culture, history, and identity. Unfortunately, many Indigenous languages around the world are critically endangered, with fewer and fewer fluent speakers. However, technology is playing a pivotal role in efforts to revitalize these languages, and at Talking Owl Technologies, we’re proud to be part of this important movement.

What Is Speech Technology?

Speech technology refers to a variety of tools that can recognize, process, and synthesize human speech. You’ve probably seen these technologies in action with virtual assistants like Siri or Alexa, but they can also be used for much more meaningful purposes, like supporting endangered languages.

For Indigenous languages, speech technologies such as ReadAlongs—which synchronize text with audio—are making a difference in education and preservation efforts. These tools allow learners to follow along with spoken language while reading the corresponding text, creating a more immersive learning experience.

How Speech Technology Supports Language Revitalization

One of the biggest challenges in revitalizing endangered languages is that there are often limited learning resources. In many cases, recordings of fluent speakers are the only remaining documentation. This is where speech technology shines. Here’s how it helps:

1. Language Learning Tools: Indigenous communities can use tools like ReadAlongs to help new generations learn their ancestral language, even if fluent speakers are scarce. These tools can also be integrated into educational materials, making language learning more engaging and accessible.
2. Data Sovereignty: A major concern in Indigenous language revitalization is ensuring that communities retain control over their linguistic data. At Talking Owl Technologies, we prioritize data sovereignty, ensuring that the digital language resources we help create remain in the hands of the community.
3. Preservation of Speech Recordings: Through our digitization services, we help communities preserve recordings of their language in a high-quality digital format, protecting them from physical degradation and making them easier to archive, share, and teach.
4. Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR): Some emerging technologies can convert spoken language into text, providing a valuable tool for creating written records of oral traditions, stories, and more. This can be particularly useful for language learners who need both oral and visual reinforcement.

Our Work in Indigenous Language Revitalization

At Talking Owl Technologies, we work with organizations like the National Research Council of Canada to integrate cutting-edge speech technologies into Indigenous language projects. One such tool is the ReadAlongs project, which we’ve used to support the revitalization of the nsyilxcn language—a critically endangered language spoken by the syilx people of the Okanagan.

Looking to the Future

The future of Indigenous language revitalization is hopeful, thanks in part to the advances in speech technology. As these tools become more refined, they will play an increasingly important role in helping communities preserve and teach their languages, ensuring that these vital cultural treasures are passed on to future generations.

If you’re interested in how Talking Owl Technologies can assist your community with language revitalization through digitization or speech technology tools, contact us for a free consultation. Together, we can ensure that these languages not only survive but thrive.

For more detailed information on this topic see my research paper here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/380426244_Seeding_Alignment_Between_Language_Technology_and_Indigenous_Methodologies_a_decolonizing_framework_for_endangered_language_revitalization