Race against time: Digital effort saves Khamyang Language; spoken by just one surviving person

In a landmark initiative aimed at safeguarding Assam’s rapidly vanishing linguistic heritage, the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) in collaboration with the Nanda Talukdar Foundation has successfully completed a major project to digitally preserve three endangered languages of the state—Khamyang, Tai Phake and Singpho. The digitised materials will be made publicly accessible for academic study and research, enabling students, scholars and the general public to explore and use the preserved resources through digital platforms.

The initiative is being hailed as a significant step towards ensuring long-term preservation and revitalisation of languages facing the threat of extinction.

Saving languages on the brink of extinction

Among the three languages, Khamyang is considered critically endangered. At present, only one person in the world—Sri Bhogeshwar Thomung of Pawaimukh near Margherita—can speak, read and write the language. The preservation work was carried out in close collaboration with him, making the project especially significant for future generations.

Part of the larger ‘Digitising Assam’ mission

The eight-month-long project was undertaken as part of the broader Digitising Assam initiative, under which more than 2.9 million pages of rare Assamese literature have already been digitised and made publicly available. Digitising Assam (https://assamarchive.org/) is a collaborative effort of the Nanda Talukdar Foundation and the Assam Jatiya Vidyalaya Educational and Socio-Economic Trust, aimed at creating a comprehensive digital archive of Assam’s literary and cultural heritage.

Tai Phake: Preserving texts, voices and traditions

Extensive textual, visual and audio documentation has been carried out for the Tai Phake language. As part of the project, 262 Tai Phake manuscripts comprising 19,950 pages have been digitised. Digitised versions of the Mahabharata and Ramayana written in Tai Phake have also been preserved.

In addition, 350 photographs reflecting traditions, rituals and daily life of the Tai Phake community have been archived. Audio documentation includes recordings based on more than 675 core vocabulary words covering family relations, health, daily activities, food habits, nature, time, emotions and social relationships. Multiple audio samples were collected to capture natural pronunciation, contextual usage and tonal variations, with an eye on educational use and future digital language tools.

Khamyang: A race against time

Special measures were taken to preserve the critically endangered Khamyang language. Textual and visual preservation includes the digitisation of 12 manuscripts comprising 650 pages, along with 250 photographs documenting cultural practices, lifestyle and collective memory of the community.

Under audio documentation, around 540 commonly used words and phrases were recorded, both as standalone entries and within sentences. These recordings capture both standard pronunciation and everyday usage, reflecting the speaking styles of multiple generations. An audio archive has been created to support education, community access and long-term language revival efforts.

Singpho: Documenting oral knowledge and culture

For the Singpho language, digitised textual materials include old books and printed literature, as original manuscripts are not available. A total of 450 photographs showcasing traditions, rituals and social life have been preserved.

Following UNESCO’s endangered language documentation guidelines, extensive audio documentation was undertaken. More than 350 speech units were recorded, incorporating core vocabulary, narrative speech and situational oral knowledge, ensuring comprehensive linguistic preservation.

Communities behind the languages

The Khamyang community consists of approximately 1,000 to 1,400 people, primarily residing in Tinsukia, Sivasagar and Golaghat districts. The Tai Phake community has around 2,000 members, mainly in Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts, while the Singpho community comprises about 9,000 people, largely concentrated in Tinsukia district.

A step towards cultural sustainability

Experts and cultural activists have described the initiative as a major milestone in preserving Assam’s linguistic diversity. By combining scientific documentation with public accessibility, the project not only safeguards endangered languages but also opens new avenues for research, education and cultural continuity for future generations.

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