J Stephen Quakenbush PhD SIL International International SANROKAN Conference on Biocultural and Environmental Studies Tablas Romblon Philippines May 14 2015 Outline An ecological perspective on languages ID: 279472
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Slide1
An Ecological Perspective on Languages of the Philippines
J. Stephen Quakenbush, Ph.D.
SIL International
International SANROKAN Conference on
Biocultural
and Environmental Studies
Tablas
,
Romblon, Philippines
May 14, 2015Slide2
Outline
An ecological perspective on languages
What is Language Development?
EGIDS and SUM
Profile of language development
in the Philippines and near neighbors
Some implicationsSlide3
What is an “ecological perspective” on languages?
Viewing languages in relationship to each other
in given, varying social environments
with a bias toward language as a
resource,
and diversity as a benefit to the planetSlide4
Ecology of languages
“in linguistic ecology, one begins not with a particular language but with a particular area, not with selective attention to a few languages but with comprehensive
attention to all the languages in the area”
(Voegelin & Voegelin 1964: 2, cited by Haugen 1972, in turn cited by Hornberger 2002:32)Slide5
Some basic concepts
languages can fulfill different functions in
a given speech community
language varieties exist in an ecological relationship with one other as part
of that community’s repertoire
languages can thrive,
and languages can dieSlide6
Biocultural diversity = Wealth
“A diverse world is a culturally and naturally richer world. With less diversity, humanity is poorer. It is a question of the kind of world we want to live in.”
Loh, J. & D. Harmon. 2014. Biocultural Diversity: threatened species, endangered languages. WWF Netherlands, Zeist, The Netherlands.Slide7
Biodiversity & linguistic diversity are relatedSlide8
Biodiversity & linguistic diversity
At the global level, trends in biodiversity
and linguistic diversity are similar.
Both have declined 30% since 1970.
Both are also declining at different
rates in different regions.
Loh, J. & D. Harmon. 2014. Biocultural Diversity: threatened species, endangered languages. WWF Netherlands, Zeist, The Netherlands.Slide9
Biodiversity declineFive main direct threats or pressures
habitat loss and destruction
direct over-exploitation of species from hunting and fishing
competition or predation by
invasive alien species
climate change
pollution
Over the last 40 years the strongest pressure has been felt in the tropics, especially in Asia.
Loh
, J. & D. Harmon. 2014.
Biocultural
Diversity: threatened species, endangered languages. WWF Netherlands, Zeist, The Netherlands. Slide10
Linguistic diversity decline“(N)normally a result of the process of
language shift
away from small indigenous languages toward larger, national or regional languages.”
migration
urbanization
national unification
colonization
globalization of trade and communications.
Loh, J. & D. Harmon. 2014. Biocultural Diversity: threatened species, endangered languages. WWF Netherlands, Zeist, The Netherlands. Slide11
Language Shift
“Language shift occurs when a population of speakers adopts a new language at the expense of their mother tongue, generally over the course of a few generations,
and is the biggest driver of
language extinction.”
Loh, J. & D. Harmon. 2014. Biocultural Diversity: threatened species, endangered languages. WWF Netherlands, Zeist, The Netherlands.Slide12
Language Shift=?Invasive Species!
“It is the cultural analogue to alien invasive species – language shift – that is the greatest threat to linguistic and cultural diversity.”
Loh, J. & D. Harmon. 2014. Biocultural Diversity: threatened species, endangered languages. WWF Netherlands, Zeist, The Netherlands.Slide13
Commonly cited prediction“50% of the world’s languages will not be around by the year 2100”Slide14
www.endangeredlanguages.com“Experts have predicted
that in the worst-case scenario
90%
of all languages will cease
to be spoken within 100 years; in the
best-case scenario, only
50%
will
survive, and just
10%
are considered safe during the next century (see Krauss 1992).”
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19MvWf22roO_egGdcma1rSAplMrQitKskxL3xn0gBgSU/editSlide15
Globalization=?Climate Change?Some climates are more receptive to some
languages than others…
Does a globally connected world
favor a few languages of wider
communication over many kinds of local languages?Slide16
Language ShiftThe opposite of Language Shift
is
Language Development
But I thought…!?Slide17
Language Development
the process starting early in life
by which a person acquires language. Slide18
Language Development2) the process by which a language takes on
new functions within a societySlide19
Language Development3) activities undertaken in a community
to add or restore functions for a language
Slide20
A Scale of Language Development
EGIDS
20Slide21
Philosophical Foundations
Fishman, Joshua A. 1991.
Reversing language shift: Theoretical and
empirical foundations of assistance
to threatened languages
.
Multilingual Matters, 76.Slide22
GIDS--the starting point
Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale
Fishman (1991)
Reversing Language Shift
A measuring rod for language shift:
Level 1 “safest”: an official national language
Level 8 “most endangered”: a dying
language spoken only by the elderly
The 6 levels in between represent successively more functions for language in society as one ascends the scale
The scale measures disruption so higher numbers represent greater levels of disruptionSlide23
The basic premise of GIDS
Language shift (ending in extinction) happens as a language loses functions in society
To reverse language shift, the community
must work to bring those functions back
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Language Shift
Reversing Language ShiftSlide24
An Expanded GIDS
Incorporates finer distinctions at different parts of the scale from
UNESCO 2003
“Language vitality and endangerment”
--9 factors, 6 levels
Ethnologue (previous editions)Slide25
The 13 levels of EGIDS
Lewis, M. Paul and Gary F.
Simons. 2010. Assessing
endangerment: Expanding
Fishman's GIDS.
Revue Roumaine de Linguistique 55:103-120.
http://www.lingv.ro/resources/scm_images/RRL-02-2010-Lewis.pdf
0 International
1 National
2 Regional
3 Trade
4 Educational
5 Written
6a Vigorous
6b Threatened
7 Shifting
8a Moribund
8b Nearly Extinct
9 Dormant
10 ExtinctSlide26
A global profile of language status
World Population 7,106,885,254; Living Languages 7,102
Institutional 578, Developing 1,598, Vigorous 2,479, In Trouble 1,531, Dying 916
http://www.ethnologue.com/worldSlide27
World versus Southeast Asia Institutional: 79, Developing: 199, Vigorous: 447,
In Trouble: 417, Dying: 111
World
Southeast
Asia
http://www.ethnologue.com/world
h
ttp://www.ethnologue.com/region/SEA
Slide28
The color coding
Violet
(“Institutional”) —
The language has been developed to the point that it is used and sustained by institutions beyond the home and community.
EGIDS 1-4
Blue
(“Developing”) —
The language is
vigorous and is being used in written form
in parts of the community, though literacy is not yet sustained through a formal institution
. EGIDS 5
Green
(“Vigorous”) —
The language is unwritten and in vigorous oral use among all generations. EGIDS 6aSlide29
The color coding (2)
Yellow
(“In trouble”) —
Intergenerational transmission is in the process of being broken, but the child-bearing generation still speaks the language so revitalization efforts might be able to restore transmission of
the language in the home. EGIDS 6b-7
Red
(“Dying”) —
It is too late to restore natural intergenerational transmission in the home. EGIDS 8-9
Black
(“Extinct”)
— The language has fallen completely silent. EGIDS 10Slide30
Language status by world areas
30Slide31
Status of all Austronesian languages
Institutional
121
10%
Developing
216
17%
Vigorous
454
36%
In trouble
342
27%
Dying
88
7%
Extinct
36
3%Slide32
World vs Austronesian overall language status profiles
WORLD
AUSTRONESIANSlide33
Language Status Profile of the Philippines
http://www.ethnologue.com/profile/PHSlide34
http://www.ethnologue.com/
profile/MY
http://www.ethnologue.com/profile/IDSlide35
Just for comparison sake...
http://www.ethnologue.com/profile/USSlide36
Language Status Profile of the Philippines Slide37
THE EGIDS SCALE IS THE BACKBONE FOR…Slide38
THE
SUSTAINABLE USE
M
ODEL
FOR LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
(SUM)Slide39
Sustainable Use ModelDesigned to help
language activists, development
workers and communities themselves
to:
Understand their current situation
Understand “best practice” in language
development
Identify a way forward in their language development activities
Provide a means for ongoing monitoring and evaluationSlide40
Some Key Concepts of SUM
The
primary
focus for local language development must be on achieving
a sustainable level of useSlide41
Four Levels of Sustainable Use
Sustainable Literacy
Sustainable Identity
Sustainable Orality
Sustainable HistorySlide42
Key Concepts, cont.
Except for these 4 Sustainable Levels of Use, all others are transitory, and without some
intervention will decay to the next lower level
of use (or beyond).
Once the current level of use is identified,
a community can determine which of
the sustainable levels of use it desires to work towards and a language development program can be designed.
To achieve sustainability, there are five conditions that need to be met: The FAMED ConditionsSlide43
The FAMED Conditions
F
unctions –
The language in question must be useful. Uses (functions) for the language at
each sustainable level must exist and
be recognized by the community.Slide44
The FAMED Conditions
A
cquisition –
A means of acquiring the
needed proficiency to use the language
for those functions must be operational.Slide45
The FAMED Conditions
M
otivation –
Community members must be motivated to use the language for those functions.
Slide46
The FAMED Conditions
E
nvironment
–
The external environment (e.g., policy, attitudes) must not be hostile to the use
of the language for those functions.Slide47
The FAMED Conditions
D
i
fferentiation
–
Societal norms must keep the functions assigned to the language distinct from
the functions for L2.
In sum, all five FAMED conditions must be satisfied in order for language use to be sustainable.Slide48
SUM and realistic language development goals
Two basic results from EGIDS about what is realistic:
It is not realistic to skip levels in rising
up the scale.
It is not realistic to maintain an unstable level. Slide49
SUM and realistic goalsIF the current level is stable, THEN realistic goals
=
Advance to the next higher level, or
Maintain the current levelSlide50
SUM and realistic goalsIF the current level is unstable, THEN realistic goals
=
Advance to the next higher level, or
Plan for a “soft landing” on the next lower
sustainable levelSlide51
Example: FAMED conditions for Sustainable Orality (EGIDS 6a)
F:
The language is used orally to meet the functions of communication within the home and community.
A:
There is full oral transmission of the language to all children.
M:
Speakers perceive the benefits (economic, social, religious, identificational) of using their language orally.
E:
Official government policy affirms the oral use of the language.
D:
Members of the language community have a set of shared norms as to when to use the local language orally versus when to use a more dominant language.
51Slide52
If sustainable literacy in the heritage language is a goal
The community needs to be secure in their identity
If people are insecure about or ashamed of their
identity, the model says you might not start with
literacy classes, but rather with activities that
are likely to increase people’s pride in
their own language/community/culture
Note: Holding literacy classes can also be an effective means for increasing pride. Still, the ground might need to be prepared first.Slide53
Example: FAMED conditions for Sustainable Literacy (EGIDS 4)
F:
Adequate vernacular literacy practices
are
in use to
establish the value of reading and writing in the local language.
A
:
Vernacular literacy is being taught by trained
teachers under the auspices of a sustainable institution.
M:
Speakers perceive the benefits (economic, social, religious, identificational) of reading and writing in the local language.
E:
Government policy to cultivate this language is put into practice by sanctioning an official orthography and using public schools to transmit local language literacy.
D:
Speakers have shared norms for when to use the local language in writing versus when to use a more dominant language.Slide54
Practical Suggestions for Successful Language Development Assess the language ecology
Make realistic goals--long-term and
intermediate
Address FAMED Conditions for desired level of language developmentSlide55
Some Suggested Resourceshttp://www.ethnologue.com/
http://www-01.sil.org/~simonsg/by_year.htm
http://www.sil.org/sociolinguistics/
endangered-languages
www.endangeredlanguages.com/
Lewis, M. Paul and Gary F. Simons. 2014. Sustaining Language Use: Perspectives on community-based language development