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Re-educating Educated Ones: A Case Study on Chakma Language Revitalization in Chittagong Hill Tracts

Avijoy Chakma, Adity Khisa, Soham Khisa, Jannatun Noor, Sharifa Sultana

TL;DR

The paper addresses the threat to Chakma language vitality in the Chittagong Hill Tracts by examining how language liquidity and amalgamation interact with dominant Bengali and digital platforms. It employs a six-month ethnography with 25 stakeholders to develop an ICT-mediated MeILR framework that centers community needs and historical identity elements. The contributions include a thematic analysis of interviews and focus groups, design guidelines for prototypes, the MeILR methodological framework with three pillars, and a pathway for deploying accessible digital tools that reinforce language sovereignty. The work advances HCI4D and decolonial design by translating community insights into practical, low-resource digital strategies that can be adapted to other Indigenous languages in the Global South.

Abstract

Indigenous languages face significant cultural oppression from official state languages, particularly in the Global South. We investigate the Bangladeshi Chakma language revitalization movement, a community grappling with language liquidity and amalgamation into the dominant Bengali language. Our six-month-long qualitative study involving interviews and focus group discussions with Chakma language learning stakeholders uncovered existing community socio-economic challenges and resilience strategies. We noted the need for culturally grounded digital tools and resources. We propose an ICT-mediated community-centric framework for Indigenous language revitalization in the Global South, emphasizing the integration of historical identity elements, stakeholder-defined requirements, and effective digital engagement strategies to empower communities in preserving their linguistic and cultural heritage.

Re-educating Educated Ones: A Case Study on Chakma Language Revitalization in Chittagong Hill Tracts

TL;DR

The paper addresses the threat to Chakma language vitality in the Chittagong Hill Tracts by examining how language liquidity and amalgamation interact with dominant Bengali and digital platforms. It employs a six-month ethnography with 25 stakeholders to develop an ICT-mediated MeILR framework that centers community needs and historical identity elements. The contributions include a thematic analysis of interviews and focus groups, design guidelines for prototypes, the MeILR methodological framework with three pillars, and a pathway for deploying accessible digital tools that reinforce language sovereignty. The work advances HCI4D and decolonial design by translating community insights into practical, low-resource digital strategies that can be adapted to other Indigenous languages in the Global South.

Abstract

Indigenous languages face significant cultural oppression from official state languages, particularly in the Global South. We investigate the Bangladeshi Chakma language revitalization movement, a community grappling with language liquidity and amalgamation into the dominant Bengali language. Our six-month-long qualitative study involving interviews and focus group discussions with Chakma language learning stakeholders uncovered existing community socio-economic challenges and resilience strategies. We noted the need for culturally grounded digital tools and resources. We propose an ICT-mediated community-centric framework for Indigenous language revitalization in the Global South, emphasizing the integration of historical identity elements, stakeholder-defined requirements, and effective digital engagement strategies to empower communities in preserving their linguistic and cultural heritage.
Paper Structure (49 sections, 3 figures, 3 tables)

This paper contains 49 sections, 3 figures, 3 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Related Works
  3. Indigenous Language Literacy across the World
  4. History and Diversity of Language in CHT, Bangladesh
  5. History of Chakma Language
  6. Current Status of Chakma Language Literacy
  7. Language, Historic, and Cultural Preservation in HCI
  8. Indigenous Culture Preservation in HCI
  9. Culture, ICT and Decolonization in HCI
  10. Learning and Engagement in HCI
  11. Methodology
  12. Participant Recruitment
  13. Interview
  14. Focus Group Discussion
  15. Data Collection and Analysis
  16. ...and 34 more sections

Figures (3)

  • Figure 1: Chakma alphabet recorded in the Linguistic Survey of IndiaGrierson1903.
  • Figure 2: Native Knowledge is preserved in the form of Dago-Hoda, which is translated into idioms in English FacebookReel2025.
  • Figure 3: MeILR framework with its three pillars and corresponding parameters.