What is “thank you” in Asi, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Kinaray-a or other Filipino languages?
You may get the answer and learn more Filipino words from the web-based dictionary platform that was developed by a team of computer scientists and linguists who are motivated by a mission to preserve and save endangered Filipino languages.
Project Marayum was led by Assistant Professor Mario Carreon of the Department of Computer Science at the University of the Philippines Diliman, the DOST-PCIEERD said in a news release.
The project sought to produce an online language dictionary which can be modified by registered members of a specific community who mainly uses the language.
During its initial development, the first uploaded was the Asi-English language dictionary. Asi is a Visayan language spoken in the province of Romblon.
Revisions to the dictionary are allowed only to registered Asi language speakers with entries reviewed by a group of assigned language experts.
Project Marayum was built through a collaborative effort of different communities.
The Marayum website is currently available online at https://marayum.ph. It has an initial layout of four dictionaries: Asi-English, Cebuano-English, Hiligaynon-English, and Kinaray-a-English.
Other dictionaries are currently being collated using Marayum which include Bikol-Buhi’non, Bikol-Central, Bikol-Rinconada, Masbatenyo, Kapampangan, Chavacano, Gaddang, Inakyeanon, Waray, and Ilocano with corresponding English translations.
All the dictionaries are being managed by their communities and assigned linguists.
As an online dictionary platform for Philippine languages, it aims to empower native language speakers to create and curate an online dictionary of their language without needing to have technical expertise in website design, implementation, and maintenance.
The project is funded by the Department of Science and Technology and monitored by the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD).
DOST-PCIEERD Executive Director Dr. Enrico Paringit expressed support to the project which paved the way for further communication through innovative solutions. He underscored the project’s importance in celebration of Buwan ng Wika.
“The national language is as symbolic as the country’s own freedom, giving it its unique identity as a sovereign nation. This Buwan ng Wika, we can also celebrate other local languages in the country through this project,” Paringit said.
(This article was first published in the Business Mirror Website on August 29, 2021)