Divvun, the milieu for Sami language technology at UiT, the Arctic University of Norway, is receiving extra funds in 2022 of NOK 3 million. That is announced by the Norwegian Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development in a press release.

The strengthening of Divvun is connected to Norway's work with the UN's International Decade of International Languages (2022-2023) and will contribute to Sami and other indigenous language use in the digital age. The decade was recently launched during Sami language week.

"Divvun does excellent work and is quite unique within its field. It is therefore very important to support this so that they can continue to develop good tools for the Sami languages and other minority languages," says Norwegian Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Sigbjørn Gjelsvik (Center).

Divvun works to ensure that Sami language users are to have access to the same linguistic tools for writing in Sami languages as they have in Norwegian. Among other things, they have developed dictionaries, spelling programs, language learning and translation, as well as keyboard solutions for computers and cellphones.

Norway has Sami language technology as its main priority in the work with the decade and is on the steering group for the implementation for which UNESCO is responsible. A collaboration forum established by the Sami Parliament and the said department will continue the work in Norway.