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Lingua Bear Language Revitalization Project

*** UPDATE 03/04/2021 *** We are excited to announce that your donations thus far, have allowed us to create the Diné Bizaad (Navajo) language script! In order to complete recording and editing, as well as compensate the Diné artist for their artwork, we are aiming to hit our target by the end of June. Please share with those who you think might want to help in this effort. Thank you!

Diné Bizaad = Navajo... Visit https://linguabear.org/  to learn more about the project and try the virtual Lingua Bear™ for free. Watch this Instagram video about our factory. (YOUR DONATIONS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE!)

"Our values, beliefs, customs, and behaviors are coded in the language that we speak. The loss of a language implies the loss of a particular perspective on the world..."

-Dr. Fernando Rubio, Director of the  Second Language Teaching and Research Center at the University of Utah

 

Lingua Bear is a nonprofit organization focused on promoting language diversity and revitalization—with the help of our mascot, the Lingua Bear™ toy!

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) estimates that over half of all languages presently in existence will die or disappear by the end of the 21st century.

Through this project, we aim to raise awareness about language extinction and to empower the communities most affected by linguistic and cultural homogenization. Just like biology tells us that diverse ecosystems are more likely to survive and thrive, the lessons learned from history show us that the most culturally diverse societies have been better able to overcome challenges and prosper. Any effort to preserve and protect a language and its culture from extinction is an effort to protect humanity’s amassed wisdom and knowledge.

The Lingua Bear™ toy employs a listener-based acquisition model and provides a window into how a language sounds and functions while highlighting its unique idiosyncratic features. Through the different lists of words, phrases, and songs we hope to capture each language's ethos, taking inspiration from Nasa's Golden Record Capsule sent into space in 1977. 

We create our original scripts by partnering with educators and linguists in target language communities. The funds we raise here will go directly to processing Lingua Bear’s next language package, Diné Bizaad (Navajo). With your help, we will demonstrate why each language is worth preserving and revitalizing, enable kids to learn less-known languages, and support linguistically marginalized communities.


 Every dollar you donate will be used towards...
 

·  Content Creation Teams: linguists, translators, voice actors, & artists

·  Project Manager: coordinates Content Creation Teams 

·  Audio Engineer:  edits and masters recordings

·  Archivist: archives and codifies recordings

·  Web and programming: prepare content for our media and program Lingua Bear Brains™

·  Internship: students and graduates assist the personnel above

 
Ahéheeʼ! Thank you for your support! We couldn’t do it without remarkable language revitalization supporters like you!
 
 
Language Package Contents

Each language package (or brain) includes 21 different lists of words and phrases in the following order:

1.   Intro - common words and phrases and introduction
2.   Colors - basic colors
3.   Numbers - basics of counting
4.   Days - days of the week or equivalent
5.   Seasons - seasons based on the featured language’s local climate
6.   Months - months of the year or equivalent
7.   Time - words having to do with time
8.   Space - words having to do with space
9.   People - words referring to relatives and the human body
10. Senses - senses and corresponding parts of the body
11. Things One - words describing the natural world
12. Things Two - words describing the man-made world
13. Animals - found or known where the language is spoken
14. Edible Plants - found or known where the language is spoken
15. Verbs - conjugated in the present tense and 2nd person imperative
16. Questions - indicative phrases in the interrogative form
17. Answers - indicative phrases answering the questions
18. Idiomatic Expressions - idioms and proverbs 
19. Music - song in the target language
20. Music - song in the target language
21. Music - song in the target language

Cover Photo Cred: @grandriver

Organizer

ANDREI GOLUB
Organizer
Salt Lake City, UT
Lingua Bear, Inc
 
Registered nonprofit
Donations are typically 100% tax deductible in the US.

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