User:Lac414/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating?
The Ainu Language - A language in danger

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
While searching for a language to work on for the final project, I stumbled upon the Ainu language. When I clicked it, I thought it would be a stub like many other endangered languages, but it was a full article with all the parts that make a good article. It seemed to have a decent compilation of information from the peer-reviewed articles and scholarly sources available on the language.

Evaluate the article
The article starts off with a good lead section that clearly explains what the rest of the article will be like and the topics that will be discussed. The only thing missing is that there aren't any brief explanations on the major parts that will be discussed. Tone and balance in the article are also good because it remains neutral the whole time and does not attempt to persuade you in any way. It just explains everything as clearly as possible about the different aspects of the language. In addition, most, if not all of the sources that were compiled and used to create the article seem to be from reputable journals and articles and there seems to be a decent amount that was used to format and educate the readers and clearly explain the language. When you open up the talk page of the article, the first thing that pops up is that it is article of interest to two different WikiProjects, one being for languages, and the other being for Japan/Culture/Ainu. Due to this, there are three student editors that were heavily involved in creating and editing the article. The following discussion below seems to also be very thorough with those involved helping each other out to clarify certain parts and edit them. It also seems like it was done respectfully and no one was harsh or did anything without consent first. Because of this, the overall organization and clarity of the article is concise without any flowery words, nor any use of more complex words in an attempt to emulate a research paper. Each part also seemed to transition well into the next and did not seem to be choppy, nor difficult to read. In terms of any images or media, it is very minimal with the only two being that of a picture in the beginning of a multilingual sign and a museum which has an Ainu language and cultural center. Of these two pictures, they are cited well. However, the article doesn't have any pictures of the region in which the language is spoken, or even the ethnic peoples.

Overall, the article is written well considering the limited amount of sources that are available and the intermediate/amateur level of those who are editing it. If someone who is more well-read in the topic was the one working on the article, it would probably be more well-developed. However, considering this, the article is clear and concise. It does not violate any of Wikipedia's rules and made due with the learned knowledge of a semester's worth of information.