The building blocks of an entire language in a pack of brochures: Can we do this?-gctid189778

[Heru Djet]

The internet age as quickened the efforts to popularize Esperanto as a universal language. While this may not necessarily be a bad thing, I question the relevance of the adoption of any Eureurasian language for Kmtyw people given our cultural malaise. Every further investment in others is time, energy, and intelligence not used to strengthen ourselves. So I maintain rather than us joining the campaign to promote Esperanto (or any other non-Kmtyw language project), we work more to intensify the proliferation and development of Kmtyw languages, a project that has been advocated by Cheikh Anta Diop, Ayi Kwei Armah, Rkhty Amen, and many others.

However, the purpose of this post is not to critique the work to expand Esperanto. The purpose of this post is to discuss strategy, and to possibly glean insight from another language project.

The following link (http://goo.gl/Zdmbxm) is to a site that provides easily accessible brochure packs for the language Esperanto. The brochures contain pronunciation guidelines, grammatical rules, basic vocabulary, and so forth. My question is can we do something like this for Kmtyw languages, particularly languages that are potential candidates for universalization either on the national-scale (as Asante Twi in Ghana or Wolof in Senegal) or on the international-scale (such as Haunited snakes or Kiswahili), languages that have profound cultural significance for global populations (such as Yoruba), or languages that have been targeted for revival (such as mdw nTr)? Are these languages far too complex to be reduced to such a succinct medium of instruction? Should we even engage in such an endeavor? If so, how should we proceed?

In closing I'll simply state that we must do everything that we can to maximize the refinement and promulgation of the Kmtyw world view. Failing that, we will forever remain prisoners of other people's paradigms, subject to their exigencies, and dependent on their plans for the future. Languages, if properly utilized, are a vehicle for the accomplishment of this.

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

I'm down. Baba Bonotchi Montgomery has produced some animation in this vein. The one on the Famine Stela soon to come to Abibitumi Kasa!

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[Heru Djet]

Obadele Kambon;189786 wrote: I'm down. Baba Bonotchi Montgomery has produced some animation in this vein. The one on the Famine Stela soon to come to Abibitumi Kasa!

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That's cool. I like the idea of using multiple media platforms. I'm thinking about something that is relatively succinct, sufficient to acquaint the reader with some basic elements of the language in question across say at least two platforms--print (including pdf) and a web-based solution (perhaps a wiki). Something interactive, say an interactive animation would be cool too.

[Agya Yaw]

I know a sister who did an animation project for ASCAC as an inducement to get parents to enroll their children into the Institute for Youth. I can speak to her on this idea since she's ready to do some more animation work.

[Heru Djet]

Agya Yaw;189921 wrote: I know a sister who did an animation project for ASCAC as an inducement to get parents to enroll their children into the Institute for Youth. I can speak to her on this idea since she's ready to do some more animation work.

This sounds like a good example of the kind of outreach necessary to build momentum around such an endeavor.

This is another interesting example: https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Category:Swahili. Note the simplicity of representation.

[Heru Djet]

This is a single, introductory lesson to another constructed language. I'm starting to wonder if these modalities of instruction are more appropriate or practical to constructed languages.
                            Attached files  Lection 1.pdf (132.6 KB)

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

Agya Yaw;189921 wrote: I know a sister who did an animation project for ASCAC as an inducement to get parents to enroll their children into the Institute for Youth. I can speak to her on this idea since she's ready to do some more animation work.

Did you ever speak to the sister?

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[Agya Yaw]

I had emailed her right after my post here. But apparently at an address she doesn't check or she didn't read my email. I'll ask a mutually friend if she has another.

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[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

Agya Yaw;209530 wrote: I had emailed her right after my post here. But apparently at an address she doesn't check or she didn't read my email. I'll ask a mutually friend if she has another.

Sent from my LG-K428 using Abibitumi Kasa mobile app

Okay, cool.

Sent from my GHANA-MADE RLG Uhuru Accu BrilliantPhone using the NEW Abibitumi Kasa mobile app

[Heru Djet]

I was just considering that Kasahorow's "Concise" books are relatively short introductions to the fundamentals of different Kmtyw languages. While these books are imperfect, is this a viable model that can be improved upon?

[Tenkamenin]

Posted by: Heru Djet

I was just considering that Kasahorow's "Concise" books are relatively short introductions to the fundamentals of different Kmtyw languages. While these books are imperfect, is this a viable model that can be improved upon?

We're seeing some good Kmtyw language apps on the market right now. Nkyea's Twi Primer for iOS is a great model to build on because it's a course that progressively builds on the fundamentals of the Akan language, i.e., alphabets, pronouns, nouns, adverbs, etc. The best part about Twi Primer is that it has recorded audio for each word and sentence which you could slow down to listen to, and a record function that allows you to record yourself practicing the words and phrases. Moreover, your knowledge is reinforced by audio and visual challenges and if you score 70% or higher on six challenges, you're allowed to move forward. Lastly, the App is $2.99! 

I don't think the people behind the app are Linguists, so there's room for improvements with their content. But it's the best model out right now.