Language Preservation, Education, and Diversity - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Language Preservation, Education, and Diversity

Dr. Lindsay A. Morcom

morcoml@queensu.ca

Slide2

Introduction

Acknowledgement of territory

About me

About the Aboriginal Teacher Education

Prorgram

at Queen’s

Slide3

Overview

Aboriginal Languages and Education: What does it mean to you?

Programming for Aboriginal languages: Preservation and maintenance

Programming in Aboriginal languages: Language as a tool for education

Why

Diversity is Key

Case Studies:

Pokomchi

’, Dene, and

Michif

Focus on Immersion Programming

Slide4

Cultural Reasons for Maintaining and Teaching Aboriginal LanguagesLanguage as a tool for sharing culture

Language as a tool for maintaining order and community

Language as a unique system of expression

Language programming as a tool for affirming the validity, worth, and dignity of Aboriginal languages

Programming for Aboriginal Languages

“

Hotié nuhech’anię́ chu nuheyatié húton dézą, t’ąt’ú t’eh hot’įné dáhołʔą sí benerídí hasį.”

"Our language and culture is the window through which we see the world.“

-

Paul Disain, Dene Elder, Stony Rapids, SK

(http://www.sicc.sk.ca/dene-elders-quotes.html)

Slide5

Programming for Aboriginal Languages

Social Reasons for Maintaining and Teaching Aboriginal Languages

Learning from the

After-Effects of the Residential

School System

Social Wellbeing

Health: Healthcare recipients

and providers

Environmental Protection

“

ki-ká-nihta-néhiyawihinin

ki-ká-sohki-téhiyan

mina

ká-kístéyimotín

ki

-t-

aniskomakíwin

.”

“Knowing your language gives you an inner strength and pride in your heritage.”

- Freda

Ahenakew

, Elder, Muskeg Lake First Nation

(http://www.sicc.sk.ca/plains-cree-elders-quotes.html

)

Slide6

Academic Reasons for Maintaining and Teaching Aboriginal Languages

L2 Learners show:

Improved reading comprehensionBetter ability to communicate in

writing

Improved numeracy and non-verbal

intelligence

Improved mental flexibility and

enhanced creative thinkingGreater intercultural and international awareness

Programming for Aboriginal Languages

Slide7

Programming in Aboriginal Languages

“Indigenous peoples have the right to establish and control their educational systems and institutions providing education in their own languages, in a manner appropriate to their cultural methods of teaching and learning.”

(United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, Article 14)

Slide8

Immediate impacts:

Strengthens Culture-Based Educational programming

Lets students learn in their first language while acquiring their second

Gives students a context in which to build on previous experiences and increases community ties

Facilitates the use of traditional approaches to education in schools, and lets students explore ways of learning

Helps propagate traditional knowledge and values

Gives access to traditional practices that are important to the local way of life

Reasons for Using Aboriginal Languages as a Medium for Education:

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Impacts on Students’ future outcomesGives students a bridge between two cultures

Validates Aboriginal languages

Increases program relevance

Results in higher attendance and completion rates

Reasons for Using Aboriginal Languages as a Medium for Education

"Nóngom kici-kakinahomaté wigamigong izáhin pigo-imá kitá-anokísanágan ci anokíhin kíspin izásiwan kakinahomatéwigamigong.”

“Post Secondary Education is important today, because you can't get a job without education.”

- Mary Strongquill, Elder, Keeseekoose First Nation

(http://www.sicc.sk.ca/nakaw%C4%93-elders-quotes.html)

Slide10

Non-Aboriginal

Métis

Aboriginal

Male

Female

Male

Female

Male

Female

Drops

out of High School

$693,273

$349,189

$546,671

$260,104

$362,023

$202,279

Completes High School

$984,773

$597,140

$975,225

$609,609

$796,762

$479,788Completes Tech School/College$1,219,559$748,057$1,242,661$789,437$999,511$757,689Completes UndergradDegree or higher$1,577,505$1,453,503$1,666,032$1,516,473$1,469,756$1,382,858

Lifetime Earning Potential in Saskatchewan

Figures from Howe (2011),

Bridging the Aboriginal Education Gap in Saskatchewan

.

Slide11

Why Diversity is Key

North America has:

Approximately 57 Indigenous language families

At least 290 known Indigenous languages

Approximately 28 language isolates

(Campbell 1997)

Slide12

Europe has:

Approximately 9 Indigenous language families

At least 80 known Indigenous languages

One Language Isolate

Why Diversity is Key

Slide13

Linguistic Diversity: Cree

atim api-w

Dog sit-AN.INTR

‘The dog sits.’

api-w atim

sit-AN.INTR dog

‘The dog sits.’

kaskit

êsi-w

atim

black-AN.INTR Dog

‘The dog is black.’

Slide14

Linguistic Diversity: Lillooet

λ’

ak ti=nk’yap=a

go the=coyote=the

‘The coyote goes.’

nk’yap ti=

λ’

ak =a

Coyote the=go=the

‘The one who goes is a coyote.’

(lit. ‘The goer coyotes’)

Slide15

Case Study: Pokomchi’

Spoken in Central Guatemala

About 90,000 speakers split between two main dialects

Widely spoken by people of all ages

In contact with Spanish and several related Mayan languages

Slide16

Pokomchi’ Educational Situation

Challenges

Guatemala has the lowest literacy rate in Latin America

Rural areas face extreme poverty and limited access to education

rate in L1 is 5-10%; literacy rate in L2 is 35%

Country is recovering from a civil war waged largely against indigenous people

Bilingual education is dependent largely on foreign aid

Support for bilingual education waxes and wanesMaterials are hard to obtain and sometimes of low quality

Teacher training and bilingualism are problematic

Slide17

Strengths

Most ethnically

Pokomchi

’ people speak

Pokomchi

’

Language is stable and unlikely to become seriously endangered

Pokomchi

’ culture is vibrant

Local cultural institutions

exist

Government policy exists

including a Directorate of

Bilingual and Intercultural

Education

Schools contain a cultural component

Educational methods have proven successful

Pokomchi’ Educational Situation

Slide18

The Way Forward for Pokomchi’

Should the focus be on:

Programming

IN

Pokomchi’;

Programming

FOR

Pokomchi’; orA combination?What factors need to be considered?What steps can/should be taken?What are the intended outcomes of programming?

Slide19

Case Study: Dene

Also known as Dene

Sųłiné

or Chipewyan

Spoken in Northern Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and NWT

6,000-10,000 speakers

Widely spoken in Dene communities by all ages in most (but not all) communities

In contact with English, other Athapaskan languages, and Woods Cree

Slide20

Dene Educational Situation

Challenges

Dene language and culture were put under serious threat by the residential school system and are endangered

Language sometimes lacks terms for modern concepts

The quality of language instruction varies by location

Access to post-secondary and sometimes secondary education is a challenge due to remoteness

Employment is a problem due to remoteness and isolation, leading to some people leaving

Slide21

Dene Educational Situation

Strengths

Remoteness contributes to community cohesion and culture

Most bands take a proactive approach to language maintenance

Dene is actively taught in schools in many Dene communities, and is often the language of instruction

Radio and TV programming exists

Strong support of Culture-Based Education

Community members are undergoing training to be Dene teachers

Language is taught at the University of Regina and FNUniv Satellite campuses

Revitalization in threatened communities is taking place with cooperation between elders, community leaders, and linguists

Networking with Navajo language programs and schools

Community and inter-community political and cultural organizations are creating learning materials, eg. Dene Language Retention Committee

Slide22

Technology and Dene

Slide23

Dene: There’s an App for That

Slide24

The Way Forward for Dene

Should the focus be on:

Programming

IN

Dene;

Programming

FOR

Dene; orA combination?What factors need to be considered?What steps can/should be taken?What are the intended outcomes of programming?

Slide25

Case Study: Michif

Combines elements of French and Cree:

John k

i:

-wa

:

pam-e

:

w

æ̃ šæ̃-wa

John PST-see.AN-3->3’ a dog-OBV

‘John saw a dog’ (Bakker 1997)

Unique in the world’s languages

Developed in the Red River Valley during the fur trade

Community now in diaspora following government pressure to leave Manitoba and Riel rebellion

Fewer than 1000 speakers, mostly elderly

In contact with English, French, and several Aboriginal languages, though speakers generally only speak English in addition to Michif

Slide26

Michif Educational Situation

Challenges

Only 2-3% of M

étis people under 40 speak an indigenous language

, rising to 12% of those over 75

Michif is not always recognized as a language in its own right

Michif is not spoken in a cohesive area, or even by whole communities in most cases

Métis culture loss is often profound

Developing and following a revitalization plan is difficult due to widespread community and diverse membership

Underdocumented

because it does not fit easily into a language family

Michif does not have a standardized writing system, and the mixed nature of Michif history and grammar makes developing one difficult

Language activists and linguists have not always collaborated for programming, resulting in documents and programs of varying quality

Slide27

Michif Educational Situation

Strengths

Interest exists in relearning Michif

Mixed nature of communities with Métis students offers an opportunity to foster intercultural understanding

Has been declared the official historic language of the Métis Nation by the Métis National Council (2000)

Michif courses and resources aimed at adults and children are available through numerous institutions including the Gabriel Dumont Institute, Métis Resource Centre, and Manitoba Métis Federation, among others

Spoken widely in Turtle Mountain , North Dakota

Resources available online:

Slide28

Examples of Michif Online Resources

Slide29

The Way Forward for Michif

Should the focus be on:

Programming

IN

Michif;

Programming

FOR

Michif; orA combination?What factors need to be considered?What steps can/should be taken?What are the intended outcomes of programming?

Slide30

Aboriginal Language Immersion

What is immersion programming?

Teaching

in

the language vs. teaching

about

the language

Strong Immersion ProgrammingWeak Immersion Programming

What

are the goals of AL Immersion programming?

LinguisticAcademic

SocialHow does Aboriginal Language (AL) immersion differ from other language immersion programs (ie. French Immersion)?

Slide31

AL Immersion and Language Maintenance

Outcomes of strong and

weak bilingual programming

Students acquire language naturally

Student age: early childhood to adulthood

Cultural knowledg

e

Language success storiesHawaiiMaoriMi’kmaqBenefits when fluency is not achievedUnsuccessful programs

Slide32

AL Immersion and Academic Outcomes

Largest parental concern

Usborne et al. (2011) c

ompared Mi’kmaq (strong) immersion and L2 instruction

AL Immersion had better English and Mi’kmaq skills

AL and mainstream language scores correlate in immersion but not with L2 instruction

Additive bilingualism

Skills transfer, particularly for literacyBenefits of learning polysynthetic languagesRisks: Families and language skills

Slide33

AL Immersion and Self Esteem

Wright and Taylor (1995)

Personal and collective self-esteem

Impacts on self esteem of different types of programs

Reasons for programming differences

Comprehension

Cultural Discontinuity Hypothesis

Affirmation of importance of heritage languageStatus of co-ethnic teachersRisks: Transition to mainstream language programming

Slide34

Community Cooperation

Three key elements:

Speaker base

Financial resources

Advocacy and community support

Part of Aboriginal pedagogy

Contributes content, resources, curriculum, and perspectives

Ancient and modern traditional knowledgeCombining educational and linguistic expertiseRole modelling

Slide35

What do the B

est Programs Do?

Strong bilingual programming

Slow transition to mainstream language, if at all

Bring in community members

Role models

Models of natural language

Knowledge carriersIncorporate and support families

Slide36

Thank you

Intiox

aweh

taq

Kinanâskomitinawaw

Ni

á:wen

Marsi

Marsee

Kw’as

hoy

Kleko

kleko

pilamaya

miigwech

Qujannamiik

H

áw’aa

T’oy

axsGunalchÈesh