An article titled "Native Languages in peril: report" published in The Vancouver Sun on May 1, 2010, caught my attention because it related to the movie we watched during class and an issue that I am very interested in learning more about. British Colombia is the home to 60% of Canada's indigenous languages- 32 distinct languages and 59 dialects. Despite this linguistic diversity, very few people- 5% of the indigenous population- are fluent in the languages, and as time passes, more and more languages move closer to extinction. This is especially due to the fact that many fluent or skilled speakers of the languages are elders. To make up for this fact, native languages are starting to be taught in the schools, and thus are educating younger generations about various native languages and the related culture and history.
As I referenced in a past post about the Sanskrit language, I believe that education is a key to preserving a language and its related culture. In addition to standard education language, which can result in short term interest or familiarity with a language rather than fluency, I believe there must be a push to incorporate native languages into other areas of society. Many times, students do not retain information presented in the education system if it is not made meaningful or if it is not present in other facets of their life, such as their family life or mainstream media. Therefore, I would advocate for wide-reaching, complex, connection-making programs that could more effectively revive and reinstate native languages into Canadian society. This might include involving more sectors of society- government, entertainment, domestic/home programs- in this effort. Additionally, I feel as though this discussion is relevant to many places where dominant languages (often brought about by colonization and residential schools, according to the article) have begun to silence native languages.
For example, I found a very compelling article from the Language, Culture, and Curriculum department of the University of Missouri that set out a plan for successful reintegration and education of native languages (Native American/Indian languages). After interviewing 89 diverse people from the Flathead Indian Reservation, this author concluded that the key to successful native language instruction surrounds making connections between native languages and other studies and ways of life. For example, he advocates for making connections across Native American language classes, between Native American language education and mainstream education, and between Native American language education and Native American studies programs. Moreover, the interviews resulted in the suggestion that a more grassroots approach to developing Native language curriculum would be beneficial. For example, it would be ideal for curriculum to be developed in a collaborative way, between people such as educators, native community organizers, and non-native people, so that the curriculum can best appeal to the widest audience, and thus be the most successful in revitalizing a language. Furthermore, the results indicate that framing Native language programs as part of "multicultural education" would be beneficial for its success. Overall, I thought this journal article set out some very effective, logical, complex, and realistic steps for achieving the revitalization of native languages, which is something that is crucial for the maintenance of fading, yet long-standing culture and history. Reading this journal article, as well as other sources about Native Language education, combined with the news articles and the movie from class, has made me extremely interested in pursuing this issue for our class research paper.
Title of Article:
Grassroots Suggestions for Linking Native-Language Learning, Native American Studies, and Mainstream Education in Reservation Schools with Mixed Indian and White Student
Populations
URL: http://csaweb113v.csa.com/ids70/view_record.php?id=4&recnum=4&log=from_res&SID=80aoapbkmljc17cnn3fp8rald3&mark_id=search%3A4%3A15%2C0%2C8
Other articles read/found about Native Language education:
“Our Beloved Cherokee”: ANaturalistic Study of Cherokee Preschool Language Immersion
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext?ID=120127178&onDenied=/journal/120127178/abstract&PLACEBO=IE.pdf&mode=pdf
and
Parents and Teachers’ Perceptions of Mother-Tongue Medium of Instruction Policy in Nigerian Primary Schools: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a907107115~db=all~jumptype=rss
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