FirstVoices explained

FirstVoices is an open-source web platform for language revitalization projects, which supports Indigenous communities to share and promote their languages, oral culture and linguistic history.^[1] It is a joint initiative of the First Peoples' Cultural Council (a First Nations-led Crown Corporation in British Columbia, Canada) and the First Peoples' Cultural Foundation (an Indigenous-led crown agency).^[2]

FirstVoices.com

FirstVoices.com was launched in 2003,^[3] and allows language teams from Indigenous communities to create secure, interactive web sites to document and promote their languages by uploading alphabets, audio recordings, words, phrases, songs and stories. The languages sites include kid-friendly views of the content, and games based on the uploaded words and media. As of 2024, FirstVoices hosts 65 public and 17 private sites for British Columbia languages, and also supports Indigenous communities throughout Canada, the US, New Zealand and Australia.^[4]

Following the principles of data sovereignty, all content is controlled and managed by community language administrator teams composed of youth, language teachers, language champions, fluent elders, technical staff and others. Most language sites are publicly accessible, but others are password-protected at the direction of their individual language community.

In 2023 FirstVoices migrated to a new version with a rebuilt back-end that uses Django, and an updated front-end interface using ReactJS. Before that, a 2018 version was based on Nuxeo.^[5]

Additional tools

In addition to the web platform, FirstVoices provides several other tools and projects related to language revitalization software:^[6]

• FirstVoices dictionary apps – 17 free and open-source mobile apps which reflect content in FirstVoices language sites.
• FirstVoices keyboards – desktop keyboard software and mobile keyboard apps for over 100 languages, including every First Nations language in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and many Indigenous languages spoken in the United States.^{[7] [8]}
• BC Sans font - a typeface optimized for displaying Unicode text in BC Indigenous languages and orthographies.^[9]
• Training and grants through FPCC's Language Technology Program.^[10]
• Help desk and knowledge base.

Past projects

• Chat app - in 2012, before Apple allowed third-party keyboards on iPhones, FirstVoices produced a chat app that supported typing in every Indigenous language in North America and Australia. This has been replaced by keyboard apps.^[11]
• Language Tutor and Language Lab - released in 2010, FirstVoices Language Tutor was a tool for creating language lessons, and Language Lab was a portable kit for delivering lessons via "a laptop server, Wi-Fi antenna, power bar, and set of iPads".^[12] The lessons allowed users to "listen to a word or phrase, record themselves speaking and then compare the result with a recording of a fluent speaker" as well as other types of quizzes and games. Parents and teachers could monitor student progress.^[13]

History and context

Officially launched in 2003, the idea for FirstVoices came about in 1999 from Peter Brand and J,SIṈTEN (Dr. John Elliott), leaders in online SENĆOŦEN language revitalization. In the two decades since FirstVoices started, it has grown to host language sites for nearly 100 languages and language varieties.^[14] Indigenous language revitalization is a time-sensitive concern in BC and globally. Many Indigenous languages face a loss of fluent speakers, many of whom are over 65 years old.^[15] Almost three-quarters of BC's Indigenous population live away from reserves and are less likely to have access to language and cultural programming. There is a growing population of language learners in BC, many of whom are children and younger adults.^[16]

The target audience for FirstVoices is Indigenous language learners. These make up the majority of the more than 350,000 yearly FirstVoices site visits, though many visitors are non-Indigenous people interested in Indigenous languages. Online tools provide access to language learning for people from many backgrounds.

External links

• FirstVoices.com
• Source code on Github

Notes and References

1. Book: Llanes-Ortiz . Genner . Digital Initiatives For Indigenous Languages . 2023 . UNESCO . 978-92-3-100617-3 . 113 . 21 February 2024.
2. News: Arrais . Pedro . Vital People: Online portal gives voice to Indigenous languages . 21 February 2024 . Times Colonist . Sep 24, 2023.
3. News: Maffi . Luisa . FirstVoices: Bringing Indigenous Language Legacies into the Future . 21 February 2024 . Langscape . II. 7 . Terralingua . Winter 2010.
4. Web site: FirstVoices Fact Sheet . FirstVoices Knowledge Base . First Peoples' Cultural Council . 21 February 2024.
5. News: Wallach . Omri . Cloud-based software deployed for First Nations language preservation . 21 February 2024 . Business In Vancouver . Glacier Media Group . 20 June 2018.
6. Web site: About FirstVoices . FirstVoices . 21 February 2024.
7. Web site: FirstVoices — Introduction . Relational Lexicography . University of British Columbia . 21 February 2024.
8. News: FirstVoices celebrates International Mother Language Day with the launch of a new version of its free, open-source, Indigenous language platform . 21 February 2024 . Financial Post . 21 February 2024 . fp.
9. Web site: BC Sans Typeface . gov.bc.ca . Government of British Columbia . 21 February 2024.
10. Web site: Language Technology Program . fpcc.ca . First Peoples' Cultural Council . 21 February 2024.
11. News: Brennan . William . A Lifeline for Endangered Languages . 26 February 2024 . The New Yorker . June 12, 2013.
12. News: Hui . Stephen . Geek Speak: Jared Deck, Sto:lo Shxweli Halq’eméylem Language Program . 26 February 2024 . The Georgia Straight . 4 May 2012.
13. Web site: FirstVoices Language Tutor Provides New First Nations Language Teaching Tool . Nation Talk . 26 February 2024.
14. News: Depner . Wolf . Saanich Peninsula resident John Elliott is a leading voice in revitalizing language, culture . 21 February 2024 . Saanich News . 30 September 2021.
15. News: Perrier . Cameron . Keyboard app brings Indigenous languages to mobile . 21 February 2024 . CBC News . CBC . 18 May 2016.
16. Book: Gessner . Suzanne . Parker . Aliana . Herbert . Tracey . Report on the Status of B.C. First Nations Languages . 2022 . First Peoples' Cultural Council . 978-1-9990269-1-2 . Fourth .