It is estimated that at that topographic point are about seven ,000 spoken languages inward the basis , of which almost one-half are inward danger of extinction too are probable to disappear inward the side past times side hundred years. Most of these endangered languages convey less than a few grand speakers left , too amongst no documentation. Nearly v hundred languages convey fewer than 10 speakers too are rattling probable to vanish rattling soon. Other languages are lost gradually when they are overwhelmed past times a to a greater extent than dominant linguistic communication at schoolhouse , inward the marketplace too on television.
The Rosetta Project is an attempt out to save all of these languages—numbering about 1 ,500— that convey a high likelihood of extinction earlier this century is over. Inspired past times the master Rosetta Stone , the sentiment of the Rosetta Project is to exercise a telephone commutation that would let time to come generations to decipher the lost languages.
The master Rosetta Stone , which was made inward 196 BC , had the same basic text inscribed inward iii dissimilar scripts. By working dorsum through known languages too scripts , scholars were able to decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic writing , thereby unlocking the encoded history of an ancient civilization.
The Rosetta Project aims to exercise a modern version of the historic Rosetta Stone. At its nub is a ready of "parallel" information—the same texts , the same ready of vocabulary , the same kinds of description—for over 1 ,500 human languages.
One of their commencement epitome of a rattling long-term archive is The Rosetta Disk—a iii inch diameter nickel disk amongst almost xiv ,000 pages of information microscopically etched onto its surface. One side of the disk contains a graphic teaser. The text begins at eye-readable scale too spirals inwards inward ever-decreasing size till it becomes every bit good modest to read. But the text genuinely continues getting smaller too smaller too requires a microscope capable of magnifying upwards to 500 times to read. The other side of the disk contains the actual preserved data.
The disk rests inward a sphere made of stainless steel too drinking glass which allows the disk exposure to the atmosphere , only protects it from casual ship on too abrasion. With minimal tending , it could easily final too hold out legible for thousands of years.
Recently , the Long Now Foundation—the bright minds behind the project—released a Rosetta Wearable Disk , which is a pendant-sized disk , much smaller than the commencement edition , only containing much of the same valuable information.
Only a express release of copies are available. You tin convey 1 past times making a donation to The Long Now Foundation of $1 ,000 or more.
Close ups of the archive.
Close ups of the archive.
The wearable disk.