Periodic Reporting for period 1 - RISE UP (Revitalising Languages and Safeguarding Cultural Diversity)
Reporting period: 2023-02-01 to 2024-01-31
RISE UP aims to revitalise minoritised languages and safeguard cultural diversity, to empower endangered language communities by building connections between relevant actors, to identify good practices being already in place and developing methods through a multi-disciplinary approach. Furthermore, RISE UP wants to foster the self-confidence of these communities, which in our understanding include learners, new speakers, people who have not yet had the chance to learn their heritage language, supporters, and more. Five communities have been selected which RISE UP will especially focus on:
- Aranese (Spain)
- Aromanian/Vlach (Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia (FYROM), Romania, Serbia)
- Burgenland Croatian (Austria)
- Cornish (UK) and
- Seto (Estonia, Russia)
RISE UP collects and analyses context information and policies for endangered languages for Europe generally and for the selected case studies specifically. It aims to create a set of tools to improve the possibilities to learn those languages. It also tries to interconnect relevant actors and especially aims to involve young people. Thus, RISE UP aims to provide support and empowerment to endangered language communities in Europe.
For three years, a team of eight organisations from six European countries will work on these objectives.
- Aranese (Spain)
- Aromanian/Vlach (Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia (FYROM), Romania, Serbia)
- Burgenland Croatian (Austria)
- Cornish (UK) and
- Seto (Estonia, Russia)
RISE UP collects and analyses context information and policies for endangered languages for Europe generally and for the selected case studies specifically. It aims to create a set of tools to improve the possibilities to learn those languages. It also tries to interconnect relevant actors and especially aims to involve young people. Thus, RISE UP aims to provide support and empowerment to endangered language communities in Europe.
For three years, a team of eight organisations from six European countries will work on these objectives.
In the first year of RISE UP many activities took place which helped to set up the project properly and lay the base for further work and its success. It was characterised by desktop research on the one hand and meetings and establishing common concepts on the other. A common questionnaire has been developed, community contacts established and first networking activities have started, including an online event on the usage of digital tools in language revitalisation.
As one of the first steps an extensive stakeholder collection has taken place, which is also described in an own deliverable: Definition of groups of stakeholders on EU and use case level. The collection comprises lists for organisations/associations/networks, community contacts, projects, network contacts (single persons) and events. It follows the concept of a living document, thus the lists are constantly growing. RISE UP has also gained a lot of interest and meetings with some of the key players in the field including exchanges of ideas could be held as well.
From a scientific point of view, the main achievement was the RISE UP Questionnaire designed for the five selected language communities, which contains questions on topics related to language vitality, language policies and theoretical background, linguistic ecosystems, and the situation of the respective language community. It was collaboratively developed by all partners involved in research tasks, is available in 17 languages – including those of the selected language communities –, and can be accessed through the project website. It will be kept open until Summer 2024.
One of the main outcomes of the project is also the digital tool which supports members of endangered language communities. Here the user engagement and gamification concept could be finished and programming has started.
As one of the first steps an extensive stakeholder collection has taken place, which is also described in an own deliverable: Definition of groups of stakeholders on EU and use case level. The collection comprises lists for organisations/associations/networks, community contacts, projects, network contacts (single persons) and events. It follows the concept of a living document, thus the lists are constantly growing. RISE UP has also gained a lot of interest and meetings with some of the key players in the field including exchanges of ideas could be held as well.
From a scientific point of view, the main achievement was the RISE UP Questionnaire designed for the five selected language communities, which contains questions on topics related to language vitality, language policies and theoretical background, linguistic ecosystems, and the situation of the respective language community. It was collaboratively developed by all partners involved in research tasks, is available in 17 languages – including those of the selected language communities –, and can be accessed through the project website. It will be kept open until Summer 2024.
One of the main outcomes of the project is also the digital tool which supports members of endangered language communities. Here the user engagement and gamification concept could be finished and programming has started.
A tremendous amount of research on the selected language communities has taken place within the first project period. In their broad variety of initial situations, they not only operate as case studies, but also as examples for other communities worldwide. Their situations have been examined from a sociolinguistic and ethnological perspective.
The RISE UP toolset – which will be freely accessible – is set out to support communities speaking and/or interested in minoritised languages, and will engage learners through a gamification approach.
The RISE UP toolset – which will be freely accessible – is set out to support communities speaking and/or interested in minoritised languages, and will engage learners through a gamification approach.