Language Preservation, Education, and Diversity

Dr. Lindsay A. Morcommorcoml@queensu.ca

OverviewAboriginal Languages and Education: What

does it mean to you? Programming for Aboriginal languages:

Preservation and maintenanceProgramming in Aboriginal languages:

Language as a tool for educationWhy Diversity is KeyCase Studies: Pokomchi’, Dene, and MichifFocus on Immersion Programming

Cultural Reasons for Maintaining and Teaching Aboriginal LanguagesLanguage as a tool for sharing cultureLanguage as a tool for maintaining order and

communityLanguage as a unique system of expressionLanguage 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)

Programming for Aboriginal LanguagesSocial Reasons for Maintaining and

Teaching Aboriginal LanguagesLearning from the

After-Effects of the Residential School System

Social WellbeingHealth: Healthcare recipients

and providersEnvironmental 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)

Academic Reasons for Maintaining and Teaching Aboriginal LanguagesL2 Learners show:

Improved reading comprehension Better ability to communicate in

writing Improved numeracy and non-verbal

intelligence Improved mental flexibility and

enhanced creative thinking Greater intercultural and international awareness

Programming for Aboriginal Languages

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)

Immediate impacts:Strengthens Culture-Based Educational programmingLets students learn in their first language while

acquiring their secondGives students a context in which to build on previous

experiences and increases community tiesFacilitates the use of traditional approaches to

education in schools, and lets students explore ways of learning

Helps propagate traditional knowledge and valuesGives access to traditional practices that are

important to the local way of life

Reasons for Using Aboriginal Languages as a Medium for Education:

Impacts on Students’ future outcomesGives students a bridge between two culturesValidates Aboriginal languagesIncreases program relevanceResults 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)

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

$479,788

Completes Tech School/College

$1,219,559

$748,057

$1,242,661

$789,437 $999,511 $757,689

Completes 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.

Why Diversity is Key

North America has:• Approximately 57

Indigenous language families

• At least 290 known Indigenous languages

• Approximately 28 language isolates(Campbell 1997)

Europe has:• Approximately 9 Indigenous language

families• At least 80 known Indigenous

languages• One Language Isolate

Why Diversity is Key

Linguistic Diversity: Creeatim api-wDog sit-AN.INTR‘The dog sits.’

api-w atimsit-AN.INTR dog‘The dog sits.’

kaskitêsi-w atimblack-AN.INTR Dog‘The dog is black.’

Linguistic Diversity: Lillooetλ’ak ti=nk’yap=ago the=coyote=the‘The coyote goes.’

nk’yap ti= λ’ak =aCoyote the=go=the‘The one who goes is a coyote.’ (lit. ‘The goer coyotes’)

Case Study: Pokomchi’Spoken in Central GuatemalaAbout 90,000 speakers split between two main

dialectsWidely spoken by people of all agesIn contact with Spanish and several related Mayan

languages

Pokomchi’ Educational SituationChallenges

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 peopleBilingual education is dependent largely on

foreign aidSupport for bilingual education waxes and

wanesMaterials are hard to obtain and sometimes of

low qualityTeacher training and bilingualism are

problematic

StrengthsMost ethnically Pokomchi’ people speak Pokomchi’Language is stable and unlikely to become seriously

endangeredPokomchi’ culture is vibrant Local cultural institutions

existGovernment policy exists

including a Directorate of Bilingual and Intercultural Education

Schools contain a cultural componentEducational methods have proven successful

Pokomchi’ Educational Situation

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?

Case Study: Dene Also known as Dene Sųłiné or ChipewyanSpoken in Northern Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba,

and NWT6,000-10,000 speakersWidely spoken in Dene communities by all ages in most

(but not all) communitiesIn contact with English, other Athapaskan languages,

and Woods Cree

Dene Educational SituationChallenges

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

Dene Educational SituationStrengths

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 existsStrong support of Culture-Based EducationCommunity members are undergoing training to be Dene

teachersLanguage is taught at the University of Regina and FNUniv

Satellite campusesRevitalization in threatened communities is taking place

with cooperation between elders, community leaders, and linguists

Networking with Navajo language programs and schoolsCommunity and inter-community political and cultural

organizations are creating learning materials, eg. Dene Language Retention Committee

Technology and Dene

Dene: There’s an App for That

The Way Forward for DeneShould 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?

Case Study: MichifCombines elements of French and

Cree:John ki:-wa:pam-e:w æ̃ šæ̃-waJohn PST-see.AN-3->3’ a dog-OBV ‘John saw a dog’ (Bakker 1997)

Unique in the world’s languagesDeveloped in the Red River Valley

during the fur tradeCommunity 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

Michif Educational SituationChallenges

Only 2-3% of Métis 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 rightMichif is not spoken in a cohesive area, or even by whole communities

in most casesMétis culture loss is often profoundDeveloping and following a revitalization plan is difficult due to

widespread community and diverse membershipUnderdocumented because it does not fit easily into a language familyMichif does not have a standardized writing system, and the mixed

nature of Michif history and grammar makes developing one difficultLanguage activists and linguists have not always collaborated for

programming, resulting in documents and programs of varying quality

Michif Educational SituationStrengths

Interest exists in relearning MichifMixed nature of communities with Métis students offers an

opportunity to foster intercultural understandingHas 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 DakotaResources available online:

Examples of Michif Online Resources

The Way Forward for MichifShould 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?

Aboriginal Language ImmersionWhat 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?LinguisticAcademicSocial

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

AL Immersion and Language MaintenanceOutcomes of strong and weak bilingual

programmingStudents acquire language naturallyStudent age: early childhood to adulthoodCultural knowledgeLanguage success stories

HawaiiMaoriMi’kmaq

Benefits when fluency is not achievedUnsuccessful programs

AL Immersion and Academic OutcomesLargest parental concernUsborne et al. (2011) compared Mi’kmaq

(strong) immersion and L2 instructionAL Immersion had better English and Mi’kmaq

skillsAL and mainstream language scores correlate

in immersion but not with L2 instructionAdditive bilingualismSkills transfer, particularly for literacyBenefits of learning polysynthetic languagesRisks: Families and language skills

AL Immersion and Self EsteemWright and Taylor (1995)Personal and collective self-esteemImpacts on self esteem of different types of

programsReasons for programming differences

ComprehensionCultural Discontinuity HypothesisAffirmation of importance of heritage languageStatus of co-ethnic teachers

Risks: Transition to mainstream language programming

Community CooperationThree key elements:

Speaker baseFinancial resourcesAdvocacy and community support

Part of Aboriginal pedagogyContributes content, resources, curriculum,

and perspectivesAncient and modern traditional knowledgeCombining educational and linguistic expertiseRole modelling

What do the Best Programs Do?Strong bilingual

programmingSlow transition to

mainstream language, if at all

Bring in community membersRole modelsModels of natural

languageKnowledge carriers

Incorporate and support families

THANK YOUIntiox aweh

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KinanâskomitinawawNiá:w

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MarseeKw’as hoy

Kleko kleko

pilamaya

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Qujannamiik

Háw’aa

T’oyaxs

GunalchÈesh