Dibrugarh, Oct. 4: The Society for Language Technology Development, a non-profit organisation, has developed a Unicode-based software, in a bid to overcome the obstacles of typing in Assamese on a computer keyboard.
The organisation, which was set up by Gunadeep Chetia, Abhijit Kalita and Mridul Bordoloi of Dibrugarh University, has developed the software which takes into account four types of input for the computer.
Chetia, a member of the centre for computer studies of the university, said the software, named Rodali, was launched here today by author Nagen Saikia. It can be freely downloaded from their website — www.sldtassam.com.
Describing the edge this software had over the preferred Ramdhenu software widely used in the state, Chetia said apart from Assamese pronunciation-based typing, the new software also incorporates four methods of Assamese character input.
“One can use the software by using the Ramdhenu method of using phonetic sounds. This means that by typing mai on an English keyboard, the Assamese word moi will be typed out. The software can be customised by a person for his or her own use and words can also be typed out by clicking the mouse, if one does not want to use the keyboard. All the four methods of character input are available in the software under different options,” he added.
The vice-chancellor of Dibrugrah University, K.K. Deka, also inaugurated a bilingual website for the organisation’s main site last night, from where the software can be downloaded for free.
The organisation was formed with the aim of overcoming the lack of coordination between people developing technology and those working in the language sector.
“Compared to the revolutionary development in the field of language and technology all over the globe, the Northeast, including Assam, is lagging behind in terms of scientific analyses, standardisation and use of modern technology. The reason is that regional languages are not being able to utilise the benefits provided by the latest technologies. Our attempt is to bridge this gap,” Chetia said.
