Tag Archives: language

The fight to revitalize Canada’s indigenous languages

Module #2, post #1

http://www.universityaffairs.ca/fight-to-revitalize-canadas-indigenous-languages.aspx

Since my research topic is on the revitalization of aboriginal languages, I decided to start doing some searching to see what’s out there. I came across two sites right away: one from uvic about a language revitalization program certificate that they offer and the other from universityaffairs.ca

The second website had some very interesting information about Canada’s aboriginal languages and what is being done about them. There seem to be federally funded projects to help revitalize Canada’s dying (or dead) aboriginal languages.

This website connects to many other sites such as the First Peoples’ Culture Council and even government sites such as Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada.

Module 1 – Post 3: Tatul’ut tthu Hul’q’umi’num’

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Based out of UVic, Tatul’us tthu Hul’q’umi’num’ is a web-based introductory lesson series in the Cowichan dialect of the Hul’q’umi’num’ language. Included on the site, in addition to the expected written and oral record, are games to assist in the learning of the language. Among them are word searches, concentration, puzzles, flash cards and label makers.

Module 1 – Post 2: First Voices Language Archive

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For those interested in documenting or researching Aboriginal Languages, the First Voices website may be of value. The site is attempting document and archive world aboriginal languages, though its focus has primarily been North American languages, and is based in British Columbia. Currently over 60 communities are contributing to the project that includes written and oral examples of words, phrases, stories and songs.

Recording and pronunciation of the Secwepemc language

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The following is a video of the Secwepemc (Shuswap) language that demonstrates what the elder is doing with her mouth in order to pronounce the words. I’ve heard only a handful of words being pronounced here in 100 Mile House but I’ve never actually listened to a recording like this which goes through the basic vowels and shows how to form words. I think it’s time that I start studying videos like this and appreciate learning this local Shuswap dialect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l23LOp0OUys

The woman speaking Secwepemc on this video is from the Splatsin Shuswap nation which is located near Enderby, B.C. The following is a link that explains a little bit about this community.

http://www.splatsin.ca/about/

It must be a real challenge for the young people who are learning this language to be able to learn it and speak it correctly and fluently. When you think of “true immersion”, you need to be surrounded by the language 24 hours a day and not be influenced by other languages, especially English. The French Immersion system experiences the same phenomenon. The majority of the students speak English already before entering the program, so therefore, when they arrive in French Immersion Kindergarten, the teacher is the only one who actually speaks French (which is really not “true immersion). Of course the most ideal immersion would be to take French Immersion students and drop them into a French Kindergarten class in France for a year. Unfortunately for Shuswap (or other aboriginal students), this is almost impossible, unless they have the opportunity to attend a Shuswap language immersion school like Chiet Atahm on the Adams River reserve. However, even under these circumstances, English and other languages are always present, especially once the students leave school. It doesn’t help either that there is a lost generation of aboriginal speakers due to the damaging affects of the residential schools. I sure admire these people for their determination and courage to try to revive their language and traditions in today’s society. However, this is where they are probably very grateful to have the modern technology of video recorders, tape decks or even iPads so that they can record the precious stories of their elders.

Language Revival & Endangered Languages…by Velasquez

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Module 1, Post 1

I enjoy languages (I speak 3-1/2 languages) and will probably be doing my final paper on language revival/dying languages.

Here are some of the website and articles I’ve been looking at:

http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/

This site covers endangered languages from all over the world. I had no idea my place of birth was home to a few of them! And I had no clue how many languages were on the verge of extinction. I think if I head down this research path I’ll probably focus on Central/South America or the Middle East. While this is a great starting point, that’s all it is. The technology behind reviving a language is a whole other kettle of fish.

Module 1, Post 2

There’s no single cohesive way to record or revive a language:

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/enduring-voices/

http://www.livingtongues.org/talkingdictionaries.html

There’s audio recordings, video recordings, databases, online tools, apps, and written documentation, analogies, deciphering, enciphering, translation, transliteration, and guess work!Here’s a fellow who may point the way to some more ideas…I’ll contact him to see what his thoughts are:

http://challengingtraditions.wordpress.com/2013/04/

One of my concerns (and Coppélie hints to this) is the notion of technology being the silver bullet (didn’t the education world go through this a decade ago?):

Digital is not the savior of dying languages. We may be able to archive the languages, but languages are dead unless people speak them, and to speak them they need to interact with others and withing an environment that’s not hostile to that language. This may be something to explore…the archiving of languages vs. actually reviving them…the technology that exists today is mainly for archival purposes, not for reviving languages.

Module 1, Post 3

I think there’s an inherent problem in trying to revive a language outside of a given culture that is dying or has disappeared. I don’t say this to be mean, but just to point out that things like idiomatic expressions, subtle meanings, and things like double-entendres and jokes are often heavily dependent on context, without an environment or a mind who understands the environmental/social context of a dying or dead language its potency is lost; it would be akin to looking at a game board and not knowing the rules, including the sneaky ones that don’t let you build a hotel!

There’s plenty of fodder for this approach to endangered languages:

Peter Ladefoged Another View of Endangered Languages Language Vol. 68, No. 4 (Dec., 1992), pp. 809-811

Ken Hale, Michael Krauss, Lucille J. Watahomigie, Akira Y. Yamamoto, Colette Craig, LaVerne Masayesva Jeanne and Nora C. England Endangered Lanuages. Language Vol. 68, No. 1 (Mar., 1992), pp. 1-42

Nancy C. Dorian A Response to Ladefoged’s Other View of Endangered Languages Language Vol. 69, No. 3 (Sep., 1993), pp. 575-579

Module 1, Post 4

There’s also the political/cultural dimension to language. Dominant cultures tend to eradicate other cultures, either forcibly or through other means (often economic in nature) that requires them to learn the language of the “empire”

Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald Language Death by David Crystal Journal of Linguistics Vol. 38, No. 2 (Jul., 2002), pp. 443-445

http://www.worldaffairs.com.au/reviving-endangered-languages/

There’s also the cost involved in reviving a language:

http://www.meertens.knaw.nl/ss17/contributions/abstract.php?paperID=360

This is an interesting and less explored area of reviving a dead language. There’s the financial cost, the political cost, as well as a social cost. I’ll have to do a little more digging around on this topic.

Module 1, Post 5

The topics surrounding language revival/dying languages are many. I think I’m going to start a small web to see which direction I should take my research. Maybe focusing on one particular language instead of theory would be a better approach.

Here are some videos I’ve been watching to get a better idea of what I’m getting into…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rRgoP1nG3c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCVWltWfbBA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbE53FKUV5g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB7kLNwKEVU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxZAbA3NuEM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTk3JL01TZ0

If you have any suggestions or would like to discuss this topic further, I’d love to hear from you!

CBC News Interactive: Canada’s Aboriginal languages

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Module #1, post #5

http://www.cbc.ca/news/interactives/map-aboriginal-language/

The word interactive is what drew me to this site as well as the concept of languages since I am a language teacher and feel that language is a key component to cultures. However, this site is only informational and does not allow to hear or see the written language. It’s a great site for statistics. The site also does not lead to any other aboriginal related sites. All other links lead to general CBC webpages.