The Role of Language Technologies in Promoting the Participation of Linguistic Minorities in Social, Political and Economic Life

Abstract

While the recognition of language rights is slow to progress, with the incremental development of language technologies, an increasing number of solutions makes the enforcement of fundamental rights of members of linguistic feasible. Although these developments are to be welcomed, such technologies are inherently ’biased’ in the sense that these are developed primarily for ’larger’ or more powerful minorities. This situation opens new cleavages besides already existing divisions between majorities and minorities, producing different categories of ‘privileged’ and disenfranchised minorities. The present paper provides an overview of the development of language technologies that may be harnessed for the enforcement of rights. Mapping the different linguistic minorities affected by these developments, the paper seeks to elucidate how new technologies reshuffle power and interest representation opportunities between language groups. Finally, the paper takes a brief look at the challenges of assimilation of minority languages and cultural appropriation.