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Javier LÓPEZ SÁNCHEZ
Director General, National Institute of Indigenous Languages
(Mexico City, Mexico)
Revitalization, Strengthening and Development
of National Indigenous Languages of Mexico in Cyberspace
The 2 nd International Conference Linguistic and Cultural Diversity in Cyberspace
gives a unique opportunity to share information on some projects aimed at
making a better use of the opportunities that cyberspace is offering to the global
society in the 21 st century. These are particularly important for us, who lead and
manage public institutions responsible for the revitalization, strengthening and
development of national languages, working for the recognition and diffusion
of cultural and linguistic diversity in our countries and regions, as well as the
elimination of social practices of exclusion and discrimination.
Although these issues have been ignored, I will discuss the importance of
carrying on investment in infrastructure, equipment and human capital
necessary to ensure the access of indigenous communities in cyberspace,
promoting their incorporation with linguistic and cultural relevance to the
intensive use of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).
I propose the implementation of inter-institutional agreements, for carrying
out joint actions, gathering global resources and using ICT in the revitalization,
strengthening and development of indigenous languages.
Cultural and Linguistic Diversity
Nowadays, biodiversity and cultural diversity are facts that globalization
and the use of ICT have made us more evident. Thus, linguistic diversity is
as important for the cultural world development as biodiversity is for the
sustainability of the planet.
The mother tongue is an essential mechanism for our species to pass on
knowledge and ways of seeing the world from generation to generation.
According to the latest report from Ethnologue (2009) there are 6,909 languages
worldwide. Official research data show that at least half of them are reducing
the number of speakers and are at risk of disappearing (UNESCO, 2003); and
90% of these languages have no presence on the Internet (UNESCO; 2009).
In the American continent, there are over a thousand languages which are
approximately 15% of the world’s total. The National Institute of Indigenous
Languages (INALI), established in Mexico in 2003, is a decentralized agency of
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