Photo credit: phys.org
Languages across the globe are facing an alarming threat, with a language disappearing approximately every two weeks. As outlined by the United Nations, over half of the 7,000 languages currently spoken could vanish or face severe endangerment by the century’s end. This trend raises significant concerns regarding the preservation of cultural diversity.
The importance of language extends beyond mere communication; as linguist Noam Chomsky articulated, a language embodies a community’s culture, traditions, and shared history.
In response to this crisis, a partnership has emerged between researchers from the StoryLab research institute at Anglia Ruskin University and the creative company NowHere Media. Their work is focused on utilizing virtual reality (VR) and immersive storytelling as innovative methods to revitalize endangered indigenous languages and cultures.
Preliminary findings from our research indicate that collaborative immersive storytelling can be an effective vehicle for enhancing group identity and ensuring the continued relevance of cultural traditions.
The project has produced Kusunda VR, an interactive experience that teaches viewers essential words from the endangered Kusunda language in Nepal. This innovative film portrays the traditional nomadic lifestyle of the Kusunda people and features interviews with some of the last speakers of their language.
In producing this VR experience, NowHere Media collaborated with shaman Lil Bahadur, one of only 150 remaining Kusunda speakers, and his granddaughter Hima. The team employed advanced techniques such as volumetric filming and photogrammetry, creating a rich, three-dimensional representation of the Kusunda culture. Users can engage with these environments through voice interactions, which facilitate language learning.
Despite almost losing his linguistic heritage when he transitioned from a hunter-gatherer existence to urban life at 18, Lil Bahadur’s granddaughter stands determined to preserve their language and culture. “If the Kusunda language disappears, then the existence of the Kusunda people in Nepal will also fade away. We’ll lose our identity,” Hima expressed passionately. Thus, she has embarked on learning from community elder Gyani Maiya Sen-Kusunda, a pivotal figure in the quest for preservation, who, unfortunately, passed away in 2020 during the film’s production.
Exploring Immersive Technology
StoryLab received backing from the British Academy to assess how immersive technology can aid in the preservation of endangered languages. Our initiative, Reviving Kusunda, involved comparing the VR experience with traditional short films to better understand how immersive tech fosters emotional engagement compared to conventional media.
For over a century, film has facilitated the documentation of cultural heritage through oral histories, languages, and traditional arts. Nevertheless, we aimed to investigate how emerging technologies like virtual and augmented reality could enhance or even revolutionize these existing methods.
Participants, including both the Kusunda community and individuals in the UK, noted several benefits from utilizing diverse formats but displayed a strong affinity for VR. They emphasized that the interactive nature of VR allowed them to feel connected to the subject matter, enhancing their understanding and emotional investment in the narratives shared.
Feedback from participants indicated that the VR experience created a more profound sense of presence within the story, allowing them to forge a more tangible connection to the Kusunda people’s heritage. This opens up exciting avenues for employing VR in revitalizing other endangered languages and cultures.
Following the success of the Reviving Kusunda project, the StoryLab is now spearheading a €3 million Horizon Europe project named Revive, which focuses on two endangered European languages—Griko, spoken in parts of southern Italy, and Cornish, from Cornwall in the UK.
The initiative unites a global consortium of academic and industry collaborators to leverage immersive technologies, data visualization, archival research, and community participation to safeguard Europe’s cultural and linguistic heritage.
The project endeavors to create interactive experiences that are accessible in museums and cultural centers, aiming to elevate awareness of local cultures and support formal language instruction in educational institutions for future learners.
Participants in the Reviving Kusunda project collectively expressed how VR can bring heritage to life in a uniquely impactful way, effectively transforming intangible cultural aspects into tangible experiences. One participant encapsulated this sentiment, stating, “When I watched the VR today, I felt I was watching the stories grandmother used to tell me. They were in front of my eyes as if they were real.”
Source
phys.org