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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML+RDFa 1.0//EN" "http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/DTD/xhtml-rdfa-1.dtd"> <html lang="en" dir="ltr" xmlns:fb="https://ogp.me/ns/fb#" xmlns:og="https://ogp.me/ns#"> <head profile="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml/vocab"> <meta charset="utf-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="https://www.sil.org/sites/default/files/sil-favicon_0.ico" type="image/vnd.microsoft.icon" /> <meta name="description" content="In a noteworthy initiative, the Kenga language community of Chad is set to release their very first dictionary later this year, marking a significant milestone in preserving and celebrating their unique linguistic heritage. With the help of Elaine Scherrer, a linguistic consultant from SIL Chad, this project not only adds to the cultural prestige of the Kenga language but also" /> <meta name="generator" content="Drupal 7 (https://www.drupal.org)" /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.sil.org/blog/harvesting-words" /> <link rel="shortlink" href="https://www.sil.org/node/336681" /> <meta property="og:site_name" content="SIL Global" /> <meta property="og:type" content="article" /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.sil.org/blog/harvesting-words" /> <meta property="og:title" content="Harvesting Words" /> <meta property="og:description" content="In a noteworthy initiative, the Kenga language community of Chad is set to release their very first dictionary later this year, marking a significant milestone in preserving and celebrating their unique linguistic heritage. With the help of Elaine Scherrer, a linguistic consultant from SIL Chad, this project not only adds to the cultural prestige of the Kenga language but also paves the way for similar endeavors across th茅 Gu茅ra region. The journey towards this remarkable achievement began in 2021 when the Kenga Dictionary project was launched as a pilot program." /> <meta property="og:updated_time" content="2024-02-07T16:31:07-06:00" /> <meta property="og:image" content="https://www.sil.org/sites/default/files/images/story/blog_post_header_950_x_502_px.png" /> <meta property="og:image:url" content="https://www.sil.org/sites/default/files/images/story/blog_post_header_950_x_502_px.png" /> <meta property="og:image:secure_url" content="https://www.sil.org/sites/default/files/images/story/blog_post_header_950_x_502_px.png" /> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" /> <meta name="twitter:creator" content="@SILintl" /> <meta name="twitter:url" content="https://www.sil.org/blog/harvesting-words" /> <meta name="twitter:title" content="Harvesting Words" /> <meta name="twitter:description" content="In a noteworthy initiative, the Kenga language community of Chad is set to release their very first dictionary later this year, marking a significant milestone in preserving and celebrating their" /> <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://www.sil.org/sites/default/files/images/story/blog_post_header_950_x_502_px.png" /> <meta property="article:published_time" content="2024-02-06T11:40:16-06:00" /> <meta property="article:modified_time" content="2024-02-07T16:31:07-06:00" /> <title>Harvesting Words | SIL Global</title> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.sil.org/sites/default/files/css/css_lQaZfjVpwP_oGNqdtWCSpJT1EMqXdMiU84ekLLxQnc4.css" media="all" /> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.sil.org/sites/default/files/css/css_EM9PzeHZt2AxxQ3R05nXINg9akBOG66G3hxOgWtlp2E.css" media="all" /> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.sil.org/sites/default/files/css/css_y-6OGvqwgwpR259lzJYNwvxpJm3Q1qOD_DWt90goRpM.css" media="all" /> <style>.panels-flexible-new .panels-flexible-region { padding: 0; } .panels-flexible-new 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<section id="block-system-main" class="block block-system clearfix"> <article id="node-336681" class="node node-blog node-promoted clearfix"> <div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img class="img-responsive" src="https://www.sil.org/sites/default/files/styles/full_width_1140/public/images/story/blog_post_header_950_x_502_px.png?itok=-byXB9VT" width="950" height="502" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="view view-blog-post-masthead-information view-id-blog_post_masthead_information view-display-id-entity_view_1 text-center view-dom-id-0e6d6234447de0998b521560248da278"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first views-row-last"> <div class="views-field views-field-title"> <h3 class="field-content">Harvesting Words</h3> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-name"> <h6 class="field-content">by <span class="blog-post-author">David Presson</span></h6> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-created"> <span class="field-content blog-post-post-date">6 February 2024</span> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-nothing"> <span class="field-content"><hr/></span> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>In a noteworthy initiative, the <a href="https://www.ethnologue.com/language/kyq/">Kenga</a> language community of Chad is set to release their very first dictionary later this year, marking a significant milestone in preserving and celebrating their unique linguistic heritage. With the help of Elaine Scherrer, a linguistic consultant from SIL Chad, this project not only adds to the cultural prestige of the Kenga language but also paves the way for similar endeavors across th茅 Gu茅ra region.</p> <p>The journey towards this remarkable achievement began in 2021 when the Kenga Dictionary project was launched as a pilot program. The primary goal was to determine whether it was feasible to empower local community members to create their own dictionaries with external assistance. To this end, two individuals were equipped with a mini-course in dictionary-making principles. This resource had been thoughtfully translated from a manual in Papua New Guinea into French and customized with examples from Chadian and Cameroonian languages.</p> <p class="text-center"><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/men.jpeg" style="width: 500px;" /></p> <p>The existing <a href="https://software.sil.org/fieldworks/">FLEx database</a>, which helps linguists manage language and cultural data, for the Kenga language was imported into the dictionary building software, <a href="https://software.sil.org/wesay/">WeSay</a>, which became the foundation for the project. Over the course of a year, the dedicated workers meticulously edited entry definitions and incorporated illustrative example sentences. Although the initial completion of the dictionary was over a year ago, the process faced delays due to the need to verify the French translations and other edits.</p> <p>Now, the Kenga community is on the cusp of finalizing both print and app versions of their dictionary. The dictionary dedication ceremony is eagerly anticipated. While the number of print copies will be limited due to logistical challenges, around 100 copies will be produced for presentation to community leaders and esteemed members, with a select number available for purchase.</p> <p>The digital app version of the dictionary will play a central role in ensuring broader accessibility and usability. Such a milestone not only preserves the Kenga language for future generations but also serves as a model for other indigenous communities striving to document and celebrate their linguistic diversity.</p> <p>The success of the Kenga dictionary project has inspired further initiatives in the Gu茅ra region. Six other languages with existing FLEx databases have been chosen for similar projects, with teams trained to collect words and revise entries. Using the analogy of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millet">millet farming</a> (as the people of the Gu茅ra are very familiar with that process), millet seeds are the words in people鈥檚 minds. Those words are harvested and then sifted to ensure everything is clean before putting it in the dictionary/granary.</p> <p>The enthusiasm generated by the Kenga project is undeniable. It has sparked a wave of linguistic empowerment across the Gu茅ra region, encouraging other communities to embark on similar journeys to celebrate and preserve their precious languages.</p> <hr /> <p class="text-center"><cite><small>Header image: IMB</small></cite></p> </div></div></div> </article> </section> <section id="block-block-261" class="block block-block blog-footer-links blog-footer-links clearfix"> <p>聽</p> <hr /> <p><a class="btn btn-default text-center" href="/blog" role="button">Back to Blog</a></p> </section> </div> </section> </div> </div> <footer class="footer"> <div class="footer-top"> <div class="container"> <div class="region region-footer"> <section id="block-panels-mini-sil-bootstrap-footer-menu" class="block block-panels-mini clearfix"> <div class="panel-flexible panels-flexible-new clearfix" id="mini-panel-sil_bootstrap_footer_menu"> <div class="panel-flexible-inside panels-flexible-new-inside"> <div class="panels-flexible-row panels-flexible-row-new-main-row panels-flexible-row-first clearfix footer-links"> <div class="inside panels-flexible-row-inside panels-flexible-row-new-main-row-inside panels-flexible-row-inside-first clearfix"> <div class="panels-flexible-region panels-flexible-region-new-column_1 panels-flexible-region-first "> <div class="inside panels-flexible-region-inside panels-flexible-region-new-column_1-inside panels-flexible-region-inside-first"> <div class="panel-pane pane-block pane-block-276 pane-block footer-logo" > <div class="pane-content"> <p><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/sil_logo_white.png" style="width: 100px; 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