Covid19 pandemic challenges for the endangered language communities: Livonian example

• In Event: Literary Representations of Identities and History

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic combined with the digital transformation of communities has changed the societies across the globe. The pandemic has been challenging for everyone, but especially for the more vulnerable smaller language and cultural communities, which tend to depend on gatherings as the core of their sustainability. At the same time changes in the digital sphere have affected the approaches of sustaining intangible heritage and language, offering new opportunities also for the other communities as well.
The value and role of digital solutions has significantly increased during the pandemic, becoming a part of every aspect of daily life. Despite the restrictive circumstances of the pandemic, there have been positive developments for language learning and language maintenance.
The pandemic seems to have prompted a change in the perspective on the Livonian language preservation as well as its role and its function. It has made language enthusiasts to rethink the existing approaches, search for new opportunities and solutions as well as use them more actively so that everyday life and language revitalisation efforts could continue. It has also showed that the remote and digital solutions are not just a matter of convenience, but a daily necessity in all areas. Pandemic has also led to the development of new products for learning languages and safeguarding cultures.
The presentation summarizes the efforts and solutions for the preservation and promotion of the Livonian language during the COVID-19 pandemic and offers possible future perspectives and opportunities for other endangered culture and language communities.

Short Bio

Gunta Kļava is a researcher in the University of Latvia Livonian institute. Her research interests are sociolinguistics, endangered languages, language acquisition, and language contacts in the Baltic Sea region. She is currently implementing her postdoctoral project on aspects of language acquisition for endangered languages.

Author

• Gunta Kļava, Dr. philol.