Ma Iwaidja Dictionary

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The Ma! Iwaidja dictionary-building app is an initiative of the Minjilang Endangered Languages Publication project (also known as Iwaidja Inyman), based on Croker Island in Northwestern Arnhem Land in Australia’s Northern Territory. The app provides an easy-to-use tool to engage speakers of Iwaidja, especially younger speakers, in the documentation of their highly endangered language.

This app is both a data collection tool and a publishing tool. The Ma! Iwaidja Dictionary allows users to record new entries and upload them to an online database where they can be curated using a web interface (http://api.ma-project.net).

Users of the app can:

- record and transcribe a word or phrase in Iwaidja (audio)

- record and transcribe a translation into English (audio)

- record a discussion of the term (audio and video)

- record a comment on an existing entry (audio and video)

- take a photo or select an on-board image

After initial registration, user-added data can be uploaded to the online database. Using a web interface, authorized curators will:

- accept, reject, or replace, transcribe and publish (i.e., back to the app) uploaded terms and translations

- accept, reject, or replace, and publish uploaded images

- create and publish detailed dictionary entries

The Iwaidja app is the first in a series of dictionary-building apps. The development team are piloting the app with other languages around the world and aim to release a version of the app which can be used for any language.