Music and television as means to promote the minority languages of Sardinia
Professor Adrià Martín Mor, a specialist in the minority languages of Sardinia and translation technologies, has produced a music CD and hosts a television programme to disseminate his research and raise awareness about the preservation of the linguistic heritage of the Sardinian island.
Adrià Martín Mor is a Serra-Húnter lecturer at the Department of Translation and Interpreting and East Asian Studies, specialising in the application of translation technologies and in some of Sardinia’s native languages (Sardinian, Algherese Catalan, Tabarchino Ligurian, Turritano or Sassarese, and Gallurese), which are endangered by the dominance of Italian.
With the aim of valuing and promoting some of these languages, he has recently carried out two projects. On the one hand, the CD Lo somrís de la magrana, featuring songs in Central Catalan, Algherese Catalan, and Sardinian, which he has published under a Creative Commons licence and is available for download on his website. On the other hand, the TV programme Adrià – Beni cun me, currently broadcast every Sunday on the Italian public channel RAI 3, focusing on the linguistic diversity of the island.
“My goal is to share the research we do beyond academia and raise awareness about the risk of disappearance of languages closely related to ours, and about the importance of preserving and treasuring them as a great cultural and linguistic heritage,” explains Professor Martín Mor, a member of the Tradumàtica research group at the University.
In his research career, Professor Martín Mor stands out for his collaboration on the development of the first automatic translator for the Sardinian language, publications in partnership with municipal institutions of the Italian island, and various articles on language technologies and minority languages. Moreover, he is a founding member and driving force behind Sardware, an association modelled on Softcatalà that works to promote the Sardinian language in technology. Through this initiative, he has contributed to the creation of the first Sardinian mobile operating system and the Wikifèminas project.