The Castellano Institute, the León Language and the Proconci Foundation, a León-based entity specializing in technology applied to education and cultural dissemination, have joined forces to bring the origins of the Spanish language to the virtual world. The result is … Creation of a virtual center allowing access to bibliographic funds “relevant” to the topic, as well as educational resources allowing the dissemination of the “cultural heritage” of Castile and León. The initiative was presented on Tuesday by the Deputy Minister of Cultural Action, Mar Sancho, in her capacity as President of the Board of Trustees of the Castellano and León Language Foundation and the President of the Proconci Foundation, Tomás Castro.
As they detail, it is a “strategic” project that will “enhance cultural, educational and scientific projection” while “allowing to highlight the documentary and linguistic heritage that characterizes Castile and León as a fundamental region in the origin of the language spoken by more than 600 million people today.”
The Virtual Center for the Origins of the Spanish Language is designed as an educational, scientific and cultural platform and will aim to digitize, preserve and disseminate “essential” documentary collections, as well as “favoring the international presentation” of the origins of the language through “innovative technologies,” the council said in a statement.
“This project is an example of innovation in the cultural field, making our past an instrument for the future that will increase the interest of Hispanics around the world in the origin of the Spanish language in Castile and León,” said the Vice Chancellor.
For his part, Thomas Castro stressed that this initiative will become “a reference within digital heritage networks and a space capable of inspiring researchers, professors, students, and language lovers.”
The project will be implemented in different phases during which the initial digitization of the bibliographic collections most relevant to the origins of the Spanish language will be processed and made available to the public through an accessible portal that will include explanatory sheets, a basic chronology and a documentary exhibition. On the other hand, educational materials aimed at secondary and baccalaureate students will be provided, thus enhancing the educational use of the content and enhancing knowledge of the origins of our language in the school environment. Likewise, the training dimension of the project will enhance the knowledge and participation of university students in research and publication tasks on the Spanish language.
Besides, in the field of technological innovation, the Virtual Center for Spanish Etymology will be integrated into international digital heritage networks, advanced tools will be developed, such as ancient fossil recognition systems, a system for creating word indexes and a historical translator, and training certificates will also be implemented that will strengthen the academic projection of the initiative.
The agreement for the development of the Virtual Center for Spanish Origins includes an initial financial contribution of €45,000 from the Government of Castellano and León, through the Castellano and Leones Language Institute, and €15,000 from the Proconci Foundation.