Staff reporter
Guwahati: “From counting on fingers to digitalizing everything, we’ve moved from ancient practices to a digital era, embracing AI and technology for a transformative future,” said Assam’s Education Minister, Dr Ranoj Pegu, at the inauguration of a three-day national workshop on ‘Parts of Speech (PoS) Tagging for North East Indian Languages,’ recently, at GUIST Seminar Hall. His vision of blending tradition with technology set an inspiring tone for an event composed to reshape the digital presence of Northeast India’s diverse languages.
Organized by the Department of Information Technology in collaboration with the Centre for Research and Development in Digital and Endangered Local Languages (CRD-DELL), the workshop is a step toward integrating regional languages like Assamese, Bodo, and other scheduled and non-scheduled tongues into modern digital ecosystems. PoS tagging, the core focus of the event, involves assigning grammatical labels, such as nouns, verbs, or adjectives, to words, enabling computers to process and understand these languages. This technical foundation is critical for developing AI-driven tools, including translation apps, educational platforms, and voice recognition systems, that can make Northeast Indian languages accessible in digital spaces.
Prof Nani Gopal Mahanta, Vice Chancellor, emphasized the cultural stakes, stating, “We’re proud to organise this workshop, which will help preserve and promote our region’s rich languages through technology, ensuring they thrive in the digital age.” The initiative reflects the University’s commitment to safeguarding linguistic diversity while embracing innovation, positioning it as a leader in the intersection of technology and cultural preservation.
Attendees are set to explore the practical applications of PoS tagging, exploring how these advancements can empower educational tools, enhance communication platforms, and preserve endangered dialects, over the next three days. By enabling AI to “understand” these languages, the workshop lays the groundwork for innovations like multilingual chatbots, digital archives, and localised content creation, ensuring that languages like Assamese and Bodo remain vibrant in an increasingly digital world. Linguists and researchers from various universities and institutes across India are set participate in standardising and digitising Northeast Indian languages, promoting a collective goal of technological inclusivity.
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