A new Indigenous language app, designed by Prince Rupert resident Brendan Eshom is seeing a surge of popularity.
It was launched over the weekend and its surge in popularity saw it land on the Apple App Store’s “top charts” for education. Sm’algyax is spoken in Ts’msyen communities throughout northern British Columbia and beyond, and is taught to all students in School District 52.
Eshom who graduated from Charles Hays Secondary School last month launched the smalgyaxword.ca website when his Grade 12 timetable could not accommodate a Sm’algyax course. Researching and sharing the vocabulary both on the website and through the app have been a way of studying the language.
Funding for the app came from a grant from the Gitga’at First Nation. The project was also endorsed by the Sm’algyax Language Authority.
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