Preserving and Revitalising the Gyalrong Tibetan Language through Multifaceted Methods
Welyne Jeffrey Jehom and Yunhuan Tan
Abstract
In the digital era, the preservation of minority languages and cultures faces profound challenges. This article describes an ethnography on Gyalrong Tibetan language (GTL) communities, as a representative case within the broader context of language diversity endangerment. Digital technology as a supplementary tool with which to preserve endangered languages provides opportunities and challenges in language conservation.
Through an ethnography, this study considers the intersections of digital technology and GTL preservation. It examines 1) opportunities, 2) challenges and concerns of integrating digital technology and minority languages, and 3) evolving dynamics of language proficiency influenced by educational systems among younger generations.
We position these considerations within the framework of media ecology and language shifts, to explore how communication technologies shape GTL and its cultural contexts.
Keywords: Gyalrong Tibetan language, indigenous language, digital conservation methods,
linguistic anthropology