Language observatory
Encyclopedia
A "language observatory" is something which is built or implemented to observe language
activities in society. The need for creating such an instrument is becoming more and more evident in view of the fact that a growing number of languages are endangered
.
report "Atlas of the World Languages in Danger of Disappearing", it has been estimated that between 6,000 and 7,000 languages are spoken throughout the world today and, that many more have become extinct. The danger is more imminent in the cyberspace. Another UNESCO
document, "Recommendation concerning the Promotion and Use of Multilingualism and Universal Access to Cyberspace" noted in its preamble that "linguistic diversity in the global information networks and universal access to information in cyberspace are at the core of contemporary debates and can be a determining factor in the development of a knowledge-based society", and recommended that UNESCO
establish "a collaborative online observatory on existing policies, regulations, technical recommendations, and best practices relating to multilingualism
and multilingual resources and applications, including innovations in language computerization."
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
activities in society. The need for creating such an instrument is becoming more and more evident in view of the fact that a growing number of languages are endangered
Endangered language
An endangered language is a language that is at risk of falling out of use. If it loses all its native speakers, it becomes a dead language. If eventually no one speaks the language at all it becomes an "extinct language"....
.
The need for observatories
According to the UNESCOUNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
report "Atlas of the World Languages in Danger of Disappearing", it has been estimated that between 6,000 and 7,000 languages are spoken throughout the world today and, that many more have become extinct. The danger is more imminent in the cyberspace. Another UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
document, "Recommendation concerning the Promotion and Use of Multilingualism and Universal Access to Cyberspace" noted in its preamble that "linguistic diversity in the global information networks and universal access to information in cyberspace are at the core of contemporary debates and can be a determining factor in the development of a knowledge-based society", and recommended that UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
establish "a collaborative online observatory on existing policies, regulations, technical recommendations, and best practices relating to multilingualism
Multilingualism
Multilingualism is the act of using, or promoting the use of, multiple languages, either by an individual speaker or by a community of speakers. Multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. Multilingualism is becoming a social phenomenon governed by the needs of...
and multilingual resources and applications, including innovations in language computerization."