This volume presents four case studies of language
use in communities that speak Kaqchikel (also spelled Cakchiquel),
a Mayan language of Guatemala; the authors provide a rich
picture of the varying patterns of language shift within
a single language group. They situate the current practices
in both time and space, reviewing linguistic policy from
Spanish colonial times to the present, and they demonstrate
how state-level programs have played out differently within
different communities. Universalistic considerations of
hegemony, nationalism, economic pressure, and availability
of educational resources are balanced against local realities
of micro-economics, municipal politics, and the job market.
A Kaqchikel author, Wuqu' Ajpub', contributes
a personal history which grounds the generalizations and
historical particularities of the community-based case
studies in human terms. The time depth of the case studies
emphasizes the constantly changing nature of language interactions
within the Kaqchikel region. Each of them brings one to
the conclusion that the community is currently on a cusp
where Kaqchikel language maintenance within the next generation
is an open question. The authors strive for a positive
perspective and champion linguistic revitalization; however,
their data do not predict a resurgence, though they do
not preclude one.
Are community-based forest enterprises in the tropics financially viable? Case studies from the Brazilian Amazon
