Tyap Wikimedia User Group: Revitalizing Nigeria's Tyap language with digital tools and platforms

August 8, 2025

A group of language advocates, led by Kambai Akau, is working to preserve and revitalize the Tyap language of Nigeria through Wikimedia platforms launched in 2020. The Tyap language, spoken in Nigeria's Middle-Belt region, faces extinction threats due to Hausa language dominance and declining usage among younger generations. Despite challenges including limited educational resources, lack of standardized documentation, and low literacy rates in the language, the Tyap Wikimedians Organization has successfully established Wikipedia and Wiktionary pages in Tyap, making it the seventh language-specific Wikipedia approved in Nigeria.

Who is affected

Speakers of the Tyap language in Nigeria's Middle-Belt region
Children growing up viewing Tyap as inferior to English and Hausa
Multiple communities speaking Tyap dialects (Mabarado, Gworok, Fantswam)
Elderly people who are part of the Tyap Language Development Board
Language advocates and contributors to Tyap Wikipedia projects
Future generations who may lose connection to their cultural identity if the language disappears

What action is being taken

Maintaining Tyap Wikipedia and Wiktionary pages as preservation platforms
Working on the "A̱gban swáng a̱lyiat" (Tyap dictionary) project in partnership with Wikitongues
Reviewing and editing content from contributors to ensure accuracy and authenticity
Using a modification tool that enables speakers of different Tyap dialects to translate articles
Creating a unified orthography for various Tyap dialects
Providing mobile devices and internet subscriptions to contributors using Wikipedia's general support fund

Why it matters

Tyap language could disappear within the next 25 years without preservation efforts
Languages represent people's cultural identities and heritage
Current resources for Tyap are extremely limited, with only primers from the 1990s and few unpublished materials
High illiteracy rates mean many speakers cannot write the language
Parents are increasingly speaking English to children rather than Tyap
The Tyap Wikipedia represents a rare free platform for documenting an endangered language

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article, although Akau mentions hoping to publish the Tyap dictionary this year through partnership with Wikitongues and envisions a future where Tyap has sufficient literary materials, is spoken by children, and is taught at all levels of education.

Read full article from source: Global Voices