Lab 1 – ELDERS Description
Lab 1 V2 – ELDERS Product Description
Robert Matson
CS411
Janet Brunelle
April 22, 2013
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Lab 1 – ELDERS Description
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Table of Contents
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INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................3
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ELDERS PRODUCT DESCRIPTION ....................................................................................4
2.1
Key Product Features and Capabilities ........................................................................4
2.2
Major Components (Hardware/Software)....................................................................5
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IDENTIFICATION OF CASE STUDY……………………………………………………..7
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PRODUCT PROTOTYPE DESCRIPTION ............................................................................8
4.1
Prototype Architecture (Hardware/Software) ..............................................................8
4.2
Prototype Features and Capabilities.............................................................................8
4.3
Prototype Development Challenges .............................................................................9
GLOSSARY ..................................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES ..............................................................................................................................13
List of Figures
Figure 1. Major functional component diagram .............................................................................5
Figure 2. Major functional component diagram…………………………………………………..8
Lab 1 – ELDERS Description
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Lab 1 – CertAnon Product Description
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INTRODUCTION
There will be a great loss around the world in the next century. More than half the
languages around the world will go extinct. With people speaking commonly used languages,
people do not understand much about endangered languages. The endangerment of a language is
similar to the endangerment of plants and species, but will result in the loss of the unique
cultural, historical, and spiritual knowledge. The Cheroenhaka (Nottoway) Indian language
happens to be one of the hundreds of languages that are listed as extinct.
With the Endangered Languages Documentation Extension and Revival System project,
known as ELDERS, there will be great hope in the revival of the Nottoway language. The Indian
Tribe was known as Cheroenhaka, but upon contact with the English (Colonials), the English
called them Nottoway. The Nottoway had made first contact with the English back in 1608. They
lived and hunted by the Nottoway and Blackwater rivers in the southeastern part of Virginia
which is now known as Sussex County and Capron. Even though the Nottoway language is not
spoken today, the language is still an important part of their culture.
The revival system will not only teach the Nottoway language, but it will expand the
dictionary on new words voted by the tribe. The only documentation on some of the words was
documented by Thomas Jefferson. There is very little known information about the language and
no alphabet has been documented. The ELDERS project will consist of a free web-based system
for anyone to use.
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Lab 1 – ELDERS Description
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PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
As mentioned before, the ELDERS project will revive the Nottoway language. It will
focus on storing and preserving the original language along with new words. This will be done
with an online database that uses a graphical user interface (GUI) frontend. The website will be
using free online software. The product is going to have to keep a user’s attention, which is why
the games (learning activities) will be included. The goal is being able to know how the
Nottoway letters, documented words, and grammar all correlate together into creating new
words. The new words will be voted among the council committee in the tribe to see which
words will be added to the expanded dictionary.
The ELDERS project methods are used to encourage and expand on the Nottoway
language. This could also lead to helping with other endangered languages revival projects. Only
one step at a time needs to be taken and it starts with the ELDERS project. The project members
will have interaction with the Nottoway Indian tribe. The interaction will involve the project
members in a better understanding of the tribe’s culture history.
2.1
Key Product Features and Capabilities
The database will have at least two tables that contain historic dictionary and expanded
dictionary. With the historic dictionary, it will store the words that are currently known in the
Nottoway language. No administrator will be able to change or mess with the words in the
historic dictionary. This is to keep the original documented Nottoway words preserved. Inside
the expanded dictionary it will contain the words from the historic dictionary along with new
words that have been voted for by the voting committee. Users will be able to look how the old
words are used and what they mean along with other Indian languages that are closely similar to
Lab 1 – ELDERS Description
the language. The council, a group from the Indian tribe, will vote on the new words that users
will be creating. They have the final saying if the word should be added or not. If it is added, it
goes within the expanded dictionary. The council will have administrator rights to be able to
modify words from the list or if need be, remove words only in the expanded dictionary.
The ELDERS project is not just about creating lost words for the language. It is about
reviving and expanding the culture of the language. That is why there is an educational part for
the project that consists of the language and history lessons of the Nottoway tribe. The game
section focuses on having the user enjoy learning the Nottoway language, with a choice of
different games.
2.2
Major Components (Hardware/Software)
Figure 1. Major functional component diagram
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The diagram above, Figure 1, illustrates the major functional components of the
ELDERS. The software will be a free registered access website. It will use the LAMP (Linux,
Apache HTTP server, MySQL, PHP) stack. The hardware will consist of a client/server
application. The client will be able to access anything on the server with a computer or mobile
device that has access through the network. The server will have a minimal projected
specifications 2-4 GB RAM and 20 GB of storage. Authentication will control accountability and
limit roles and/or views of certain users. Users will be able to view the alphabet, historic
dictionary, expanded dictionary, historic background and communication methods.
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IDENTIFICATION OF CASE STUDY
The ELDERS project is designed to revitalize the Nottoway language. Professor Jay
Morris has been working closely with the Nottoway tribe for the past couple years. He is a
computer science professor that teaches at Old Dominion University. He graduated from Yale
University with a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s degree in
Philosophy. With his close relationship with tribe, they have grown a strong trust with him and
with his idea on the revitalization projection of the language. Professor Morris has team
members from the CS410/411 class helping him out with the ELDERS project.
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PRODUCT PROTOTYPE DESCRIPTION
The ELDERS product prototype will require access to the website. Unregistered users
will only have access to certain parts of the site. We want the tribe members to feel safe with
people being able to access their language. So we will set administrative rights on the different
users accessing the website. Administrators, council members, and registered users will all have
different levels of access on the website.
4.1
Prototype Architecture
The interface will contain the LAMP stack. The prototype will feature a virtual machine
that will have MySQL database and Apache server.
Figure 2 Major Functional Component Diagram
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This can be accessed by a remote desktop client. Python will be the written coded algorithm for
the ELDERS project. There will be two different algorithms based on the dictionaries and search
engine. With the voting of new words, the database will see if the word is already contained in
the dictionary. The community and the council members will vote on which words will be used
in the new dictionary.
4.2
Prototype Features and Capabilities
The prototype website will feature an option to register. This will give access control on
the registered user in what they are capable of doing. The registration will need the user’s email,
name, and password. The user will be given an option to be able to reset his/her password. This
will send a new password to the registered user’s email address. The prototype will feature a
history page about the Nottoway tribe and the creations of ELDERS. The administrator will be
able to update and modify how it will be displayed. The prototype will feature a simple
hangman game that is part of the learning activities section. More games will be added in the
future to increase the learning capability of registered users. Administrators in the future will be
able to add and update games. The prototype will feature dictionary search with both English and
Nottoway words. There will be a forum in which users can discuss and ask questions about the
language. This forum will allow the registered user to edit their profile and share information
with other users on the internet.
4.3
Prototype Development Challenges
Like many projects that start off, there will be many challenges in the way. One of the
problems that can occur is the administrator’s responsibility on keeping the website constantly
updated to ensure that errors do not occur. Administrator users will have to teach the next
administrator user. Another problem that can occur is people who do not have online access will
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not be able to view any content. A simple solution to this is by allowing the user to be able to
export content on mobile devices, like the dictionaries and the grammar usage.
The Nottoway Indians need to like how the project is being setup. The current working
members will have to show them what is being worked on. With Professor Jay Morris
knowledge on the language, he would be able to help out with the conjunction of the grammar.
Conjunction of the grammar is what pronouns are used with verbs and adjectives. He has simple
examples of the Nottoway grammar uses.
Lab 1 – ELDERS Description
GLOSSARY
ELDERS: Endangered Languages Documentation Extension and Revival System
Old Dictionary: Dictionary only containing the original Nottoway words
New Dictionary: Dictionary containing all of the new words approved by the Nottoway
LAMP: Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP
Registered User: A user that has registered with the ELDERS website and is either not a
member of the community or a user whose Community Member status has not yet been
approved.
Community Member: A member of the community that the language belongs to
Language Committee Member: Member of the community selected to be responsible for
voting and suggesting new words
Graphical User Interface (GUI): How the end user will interact with the application
Linux: A free, widely-available open-source operating system
MySQL: the worlds most used RDBMS
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Structured Query Language (SQL): Language used to make queries to a database server
Tables: Logical collections of data stored on a database server
RDBMS: Relational Database Management System
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REFERENCES
http://www.cs.odu.edu/~jdm/
"J.D. Morris." J.D. Morris. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2013.
http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/linguistics/endangered.jsp
"Research Areas." Language and Linguistics: Endangered Language. N.p., n.d. Web. 11
Mar. 2013.
http://www.cheroenhaka-nottoway.org/nottoway-history/snap-shot.htm
"Cheroenhaka Nottoway Indian Tribe History." Cheroenhaka Nottoway Indian Tribe
History. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2013.
http://www.cheroenhaka-nottoway.org/
"Cheroenhaka Nottoway Indian Tribe Official Site." Cheroenhaka Nottoway Indian Tribe
Official Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2013.