Immersing yourself in your language to preserve it

Learning a language is hard until you immerse yourself in it and where better than in your home; in the kitchen, the bedroom, the bathroom and all over.

The Pama Language Centre is using the latest technology to revive and preserve the at risk languages of Far North Queensland through technology called Augmented Reality (AR).

AR enhances a real object with computer-generated information, making it possible for objects around us to “come alive” and speak to us.

In the image above, each picture box on the Guugu Yimithirr Personal Pronouns poster contains a scannable code. When you scan the code with your phone or iPad, the picture comes to life to show an example of a grammar point.

You can both see and hear the dialogue in Guugu Yimithirr and after tapping a button, you see a translation of the dialogue that matches words of the same meaning by colour.

To learn new words, laminated cards with “zap codes” can be attached to everyday items in the home such as the kettle, a door, the fridge or a chair.

When you scan the code on the card with your device, you hear the name of the item in language, you hear a sentence using that word, and you see the written text and a picture or animation of the item. When you tap a button you get a colour coded translation.

AR posters and cards are making it possible for everyone to hear and to interact with their language whenever they wish. This was not possible until now.

Other AR resources that have been developed for the Guugu Yimithirr language include a Guugu Yimithirr alphabet poster and Guugu Yimithirr Alphabet book. There is also a new Guugu Yimithirr children's picture book by Guugu Yimithirr language teacher Lillian Bowen OAM.

In Mrs Bowen's new book, AR is used to animate conversations between the characters in the story. Mrs Bowen’s family and friends do all the Guugu Yimithirr voice acting.

AR technology is making it possible to make immersive environments for learning these at risk languages.