We have been doing some pretty cool work that has impressive implications for saving languages around the world.
We took limited linguistic data on a language with fewer than 50 fluent speakers (1500 tribal members) and (with blessing of the community) built an AI system that lets us write lessons in the Yawanawá language.
After we build lessons (total 1200 initial sentences, which are quite complex based on the Native Tongues methodology) we then have all the sentences checked by both our linguist and the fluent speakers before being recorded remotely over Starlink from the Amazon Rainforest.
We can make lessons very quickly and can customize them to the needs of communities based on what they want to teach.
We can also:
Find gaps in the language data so that we can fill them.
Take handwritten documents and process them into the database to find missing words and grammar.
Deliver the materials in a state of the art app so the youth can use it on their own time.
And soon we will be able to process stories for deeper immersion once the initial sentence sequences are well understood.
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This method is based on a system which we use to teach people enough to start reading a new language in as little as one weekend.
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I believe that this system could be used to help communities revitalized thier languages around the world, and I see a very clear path to do that if we had ample resources.
However we have practically zero funding or way to support this project that we are pouring hundreds of hours into.
I'm looking for people who can help make connections so that we can support ourselves enough to continue doing this work and hopefully make these processes available to anyone who needs it. If you can help support this project in any way, please let me know.