Maseko et al. (2010) make a strong case for the promotion of the African languages on the Web. They specifically also refer to the role of information and communication technology (ICT) and, without naming it as such, they make a link to a specific type of language technology:

They continue to present an overview of the (limited) presence of African languages on the internet and, inter alia, address issues regarding stakeholders that have a role to play in promoting access to the internet in African languages: government, non-governmental organisations, universities and users (Maseko et al. 2010). The presence of African languages on the internet has increased to some extent over the last five years, while simultaneously significant and positive strides have been made in research and development in language technologies (LTs) in the South African context.

The aims of this chapter are to provide a perspective on the role of stakeholders in developing technologies and promoting access to African languages on the Web; to discuss some prerequisites for developing and implementing LTs to the benefit of the users of the nine official African languages of South Africa; and, finally, to focus on new challenges arising from the presence of big data.

Language technologies

Language technologies are enabling technologies that facilitate interaction between humans and computer systems, or between humans and humans through the use of natural language by computer systems. We are constantly implementing LTs in one way or the other, whether we are aware of it or not. Consider the frequent use of spelling or grammar checkers, or searching for information on a topic on any web-based search engine. The mere use of text queries in a web-based search engine implies a form of LT.