SIL International Media Release
Cree syllabic fonts paper presented at 40th Algonquian Conference
(October 2008) SIL field linguist Bill Jancewicz co-presented a paper 24–26 October in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at the 40th Algonquian Conference, an international meeting for researchers working in Algonquian studies, from anthropology to language education, including linguistics. The paper, co-presented with Marie-Odile Junker (Carleton University), was titled "Cree syllabic fonts: Development, compatibility and usage in the digital world."
The paper dealt with Jancewicz and Junker's experience in helping develop resources for typing Cree syllabics in the area of information technology (IT).
- How do changes in IT affect languages like Cree?
- What are the best tools?
- Can these tools be understood and accessed by the people who need them?
- To what extent are minority languages vulnerable in IT?
This annual international meeting for researchers working in Algonquian studies also includes such fields as archaeology, art, biography, education, ethnography, ethnobotany, folklore, geography, history, literature, music, politics, psychology, religion and sociology.
The 40th annual conference was held at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. It was sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts: the departments of American Indian studies, American studies, anthropology and history, and by the linguistics program.