Three Endangered Assam Languages Digitally Preserved for Future Generations

In a significant step towards preserving Assam’s linguistic heritage, three of the state’s critically endangered languages, Khamyang, Tai Phake and Singpho, have been digitally documented and preserved, making them accessible for future generations.

The initiative has been carried out under a comprehensive language documentation project led by the Nanda Talukdar Foundation, with support from the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), according to an official release.

The newly created digital archive was formally opened to the public at a press conference in Guwahati, which was addressed by AASU Adviser Dr Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharyya and AASU President Utpal Sharma. The event was made even more meaningful by the presence of Bhogeswar Thomung (84), the only surviving fluent speaker of the Khamyang language.

As part of the project, a wide range of materials have been digitised, including old manuscripts, rare books, photographs and audio recordings. These records capture vocabulary, pronunciation, oral traditions, rituals and everyday usage of the three languages, helping safeguard knowledge that was at risk of disappearing.

Special emphasis was placed on recording spoken language, with extensive audio samples documenting words, sentence structures and natural speech patterns. Visual records of cultural practices and community life were also preserved to provide a deeper understanding of the languages in their social context.

The effort is part of the larger “Digitising Assam” programme, under which more than 2.6 million pages of Assamese literary and cultural materials have already been digitised. Academic guidance for the project was provided by the Assamese and Indigenous Languages Institute of Assam.

Project Chief Adviser Dr Palash Nath said the digital archive would serve as a lasting resource for research, education and future language revival efforts. AASU leaders also stated that similar initiatives would be taken up to document and preserve other endangered languages of Assam in the coming years.

The project has been widely seen as an important step in protecting Assam’s rich cultural and linguistic diversity at a time when many indigenous languages face the threat of extinction.

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