In recent times, computer-mediated communication
technologies are becoming more important in the areas
of conflict resolution, mass education, commerce and
other communication critical to human interaction.
Two major communication technologies have huge
penetration in most African countries: the internet
and the mobile phone. At the moment, substantial part
of the textual communication via these technologies
is done using the English and French languages. The
reason for this is that the modern information and
communication technologies, including those for
typesetting scripts, are either not adapted and/or
are difficult to adapt for indigenous African
languages. It is now a common knowledge that many
African languages will likely go into extinction as
they are becoming less frequently used by native
speakers. The need to develop speech and language
technologies for indigenous African languages thus
emerges in the context of the potentials of
computer-mediated communication technologies in
modern society; hence this book.
technologies are becoming more important in the areas
of conflict resolution, mass education, commerce and
other communication critical to human interaction.
Two major communication technologies have huge
penetration in most African countries: the internet
and the mobile phone. At the moment, substantial part
of the textual communication via these technologies
is done using the English and French languages. The
reason for this is that the modern information and
communication technologies, including those for
typesetting scripts, are either not adapted and/or
are difficult to adapt for indigenous African
languages. It is now a common knowledge that many
African languages will likely go into extinction as
they are becoming less frequently used by native
speakers. The need to develop speech and language
technologies for indigenous African languages thus
emerges in the context of the potentials of
computer-mediated communication technologies in
modern society; hence this book.