StivorLing: Digital Documentation and Social Media Revitalization of a Critically Endangered Romance Variety

Abstract

This paper presents StivorLing (https://stivorling.com/en/home-english/), the first comprehensive, community-driven documentation and revitalization project dedicated to the heritage Italo-Romance variety of Štivor, a small village in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Currently, the variety is critically endangered, with only approximately 10 fluent speakers remaining, all belonging to the oldest generation. Given this extreme urgency, our project moves beyond traditional academic models to center on a deep, active collaboration between a community member and an academic researcher. We explore three key dimensions of the project’s digital and social ecosystem: 1. Collaborative Documentation and the Archive: We detail a process where community members are the primary agents of recording. By prioritizing authentic cultural narratives, we have archived oral histories that reflect a disappearing reality, such as memories of the village school in the 1950s, the history of local wells, and personal stories of selling wine and grapes in Derventa. These recordings provide a vital linguistic record of specialized agricultural and domestic vocabulary, including the production of rakija and traditional tools. 2. Social Media Mobilization and Diaspora Outreach: We analyze the strategic evolution of the StivorLing Instagram page as a tool for revitalization. By repurposing archival materials—such as traditional songs like “La bella bionda” and “Marciar”—into simple, "catchy" videos and audio stories, we make the variety visible to the younger generation and the global diaspora. This approach moves the language from the private domestic sphere of a few elderly speakers into a curated, engaging digital space that gives newfound value and prestige to the variety. 3. Tailored Educational Outcomes: The StivorLing archive serves as a living foundation for language strengthening, moving beyond static preservation to active revitalization. We showcase a range of educational initiatives, including the creation of tailored pedagogical materials—such as illustrated agricultural vocabularies and village maps—designed for both community descendants and non-speakers. Crucially, the project extends into the public sphere through targeted workshops for high school students. These sessions are designed to raise awareness of the Štivor variety among the dominant population, challenging its invisibility and fostering linguistic prestige. By bridging archival records with digital engagement and classroom outreach, we illustrate how historical documentation is transformed into a dynamic tool for language learning, cultural pride, and broader social awareness. As the first project of its kind in the region to fully involve community members in every stage, StivorLing demonstrates how technology and grassroots collaboration can effectively document and provide a future for a variety on the brink of extinction.