indigenous languages, it is also necessary to program keyboards for various operating systems that
allow the use of such typography.
During
development of a pilot keyboard (Figure 1) for some languages of the Oto-Mangue family: Otomí
(Ñhähñu), Matlatzinca, Mazahua and Tlahuica, as well as the participation of Nahuatl speakers in its
Guerrero
reflection on the use of
language and a keyboard prototype that the participants themselves could
design and use for different purposes: educational, materials development, and others.
Figure 1
Under the coordination and advice of Manuel López Rocha and Sandra García Saldarriaga.
The image presents a template of one of the prototypes designed and still to be tested. It was developed
for
identification of selectable keyboards
more accessible way than other operating systems. The
objective is to implement it to other OSs.
The aforementioned programming started from the writing standard of the Hñähñu language
and consisted in analyzing vowel frequency, the determination of the most frequent and the least used
phonemes, the possibilities of combinable diacritics, and consonant signs. Subsequently, consulting
the mentioned language users allowed to test and correct the distribution of letters and signs, in order
to facilitate its access and use.
A feature as basic as the distribution of letters on a keyboard is essential to facilitate writing
and encouraging its use in conjunction with technology in all areas: institutional, social, cultural or
educational.
Training for using writing tools
Finally, it is important to emphasize the need of a training campaign for using these tools, both
for non-speakers of indigenous languages and for those who have linguistic competence in them, for
promoting their use and for an adequate access to writing technologies in order to promote writing
habits in any area, private and public, and thus ensuring the full use of indigenous languages in any
context.
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