'Ho Mobile Dictionary App'
Recently, a self-taught developer, Krishna Diggi from
the Ho tribal community, launched a new version of the Ho mobile Dictionary app
with more than 10,000 words to support the preservation of the Ho language.The
developer Krishna Diggi belongs to the Kolhan region of Jharkhand and started
the project in 2017 with the aim of protecting indigenous linguistic
heritage.The application has been developed under a small IT services startup
called Ipil Innovation.The initiative seeks to ensure that the Ho language
remains relevant in an increasingly digital world.
Digital Dictionary for Language
Preservation
¨
The digital dictionary
was initially developed as a desktop software before being converted into a
mobile application due to increasing smartphone usage.
¨
The first mobile version
of the application was released on the Google Play Store in 2021.
¨
The application functions
as a trilingual dictionary that allows users to search words in English, Hindi
and Ho languages.
¨
The application provides
translations, example sentences and words written in the Warang Chiti script.
About the Ho Language
¨ The Ho language belongs
to the Austroasiatic language family and forms part of the Munda branch, which
also includes Santhali.
¨ The language is closely
related to the Mundari language and is primarily spoken in the Kolhan region of
Jharkhand, with additional speakers in parts of Odisha and West Bengal.
¨ The Ho or Kolha people
are an Austroasiatic Munda ethnic group of India. They call themselves the Ho,
Hodoko and Horo, which mean ‘human’ in their own language.
¨
According to the Census
of India 2011, the Ho language has over 1.42 million speakers, with the
majority residing in Jharkhand.
Warang Chiti Script
¨ The Ho language is
written using the Warang Chiti script, which was developed specifically for
writing the language.
¨ The script received international digital recognition after being included in the Unicode Standard Version 7.0 in 2014 by the Unicode Consortium.
¨ Inclusion in the Unicode Standard enables the script to be used in computers, smartphones and other digital platforms, thereby supporting the digital preservation of the Ho language.
