The Computing and Minority Languages Group, led by Dr Daniel Cunliffe, has been investigating aspects of the relationship between minority languages and Information Technology since 2000.
The internet and the new media it facilitates pose a challenge for many minority language communities
Many
of the world’s languages are declining in terms of use and number of
speakers. New information technologies, such as the internet and the new
media it facilitates, pose a challenge for many minority language
communities.
Whilst it can be argued that new media in particular
provides opportunities for a minority language, they typically also
increase exposure to, and consolidate the dominance of, the majority
language.
Furthermore, the assumption that increasing the amount and range of digital content in a minority language will help the survival of that language is largely unproven.
Daniel Cunliffe leads the research into the relationship between minority languages and information technology. This has focussed mainly on the Welsh language, Cymraeg, and has included design recommendations and guidance as well as studies of language use online, particularly in social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.