Drops is elated to introduce our latest language course--Ainu in partnership with UN-proclaimed 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages (IYIL2019).
Ainu, a critically endangered, indigenous language in Northern Japan, is a language with only about 300 speakers. Traditionally, the spoken Ainu language has been passed down from parents to children and the written language uses the Japanese writing system katakana.
Ainu is an indigenous language native to Hokkaido, one of Japan’s many islands. Earlier this year, Japan enacted a new bill to officially recognize the Ainu people of Hokkaido as an indigenous people of Japan. This bill also includes provisions to protect and support the Ainu culture, people and language.
Drops has made it a continued priority to add endangered and indigenous languages including Hawaiian, Maori, Samoan, and now--Ainu. The decision to digitize endangered and indigenous languages is complex, but languages carry a cultural and historical significance that the world can’t afford to lose. Despite this, every two weeks another language goes extinct. And with the addition of the Ainu language to Drops, it’s our hope to support this incredible language.
If you’re interested in an introduction to Ainu, Drops offers you the chance to tap, swipe, and play your way to learning the more than 250 words and phrases in Ainu in just 5-minutes a day as a part of a customized learning experience.
The development of our Ainu language course took over 6 months. It was a joint effort between Drops, IYIL2019 and the Center for Ainu & Indigenous Studies at Hokkaido University, the only national research institution specializing in Ainu studies.
We traveled to Japan to work with the Center and ensure Ainu is accurately represented in the app. We also worked closely with translator Associate Professor Jirota Kitahara of Hokkaido University and voiceover talent, certified Ainu language instructor, Kenyu Yamamaru, to offer 211 Ainu expressions in 14 topics and 5 categories.
In addition to helping new learners build a foundation in the Ainu language, Drops’ Ainu course also serves to assist the transmission of and efforts to support the language.
"Love my fun language learning and practice with daily Drops sessions, and monthly Challenges to participate in, and quiz mode to test contextual learning - brilliant! So much thought, consideration and inclusivity has gone into the design and function of this app, I can't praise it highly enough."
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"I have been desperate to find an app that really helps me learn Japanese and this is the best by far"
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"Fun and interactive. Great for repetition!"
"Very engaging way of learning Yoruba in a stimulating way. Will be using to learn myself and to teach my child!"
"Amazing language learning tool. Excellent app for increasing vocabulary in your foreign language of choice. Useful for beginner, intermediate, and advanced learners. The repetition of the words makes them much easier to remember, and without the hassle of making your own flash cards. I have used Drops for two years now and have seen great results."
"Great little learning app! I've learned at least 5-10 new words in Spanish in my first 5 minutes. Easy to pick up and thorough."
"I have been desperate to find an app that really helps me learn Japanese and this is the best by far"
"I like that you can switch between different subjects and topics constantly and it’s really easy to learn a lot of vocabulary very quickly! This works perfect for me because I can learn a lot of words but then practice sentence structure with my grandmother whose from Croatia"
"Fantastic app great opportunity to learn languages on your spare time. Drops makes it easy to learn and retain words to formulate sentences."
"What an amazing app! I’ve tried several apps for language learning and I cannot recommend Drops enough. I don’t know how a short Drops session can teach me as much as 1 hour+ of focused use of other apps, it’s like magic."
"Love my fun language learning and practice with daily Drops sessions, and monthly Challenges to participate in, and quiz mode to test contextual learning - brilliant! So much thought, consideration and inclusivity has gone into the design and function of this app, I can't praise it highly enough."
"Definitely recommend! I'm using this to learn mandarin 10/10"
"This app us the best and how I am doing Learning Ukraine is Helping me alot tnx"
