Human Tech Tree
If solved2040s? · If Solved (becomes possible)

Civilization / Humanities & Culture

Every Language Documented

Each of the world's languages has a recorded, transcribed and described archive that its own community governs.

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It would need fieldwork and community agreements for the thousands of languages that today have a wordlist or less, plus speech and text tools that work from a few hours of data. Documentation does not keep a language alive, but it keeps the knowledge available for those who want to revive it.

What it brings

  • Dictionaries and grammars for every language
  • Translation and speech tools in small languages
  • Material for communities to teach and revive their language
  • Evidence on the full range of human languages

Prerequisites

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