The ideological foundations of Breton and Lower Sorbian language revitalization through education and their consequences for new speakers

Abstract While the majority of studies on new speakers focuses on language use in educational and community contexts, the family is becoming an increasingly relevant site since new speakers are now incorporating their languages into their home life. This article reports on how people of Native Hawaiian ancestry express their speakerhood with regard to their use of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, or the Hawaiian language, in the context of the family. It explores Hawaiians’ stances towards different ways of speaking Hawaiian with regard to authenticity, an issue which has been found to be central among new speakers of minority languages in other contexts. Drawing on interview data with six Hawaiians, this article investigates Hawaiian speakerhood by focusing on how the participants view linguistic authority and translanguaging in family settings. The article offers insights into the range of linguistic practices and sociolinguistic authenticities in families that may enhance continued language revitalization efforts.

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Approaches to and Strategies for Language Revitalization

The Oxford Handbook of Endangered Languages ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190610029.013.22 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 442-465

Author(s):

Leanne Hinton

Keyword(s):

Language Learning ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Language Revitalization ◽

Language Education ◽

Writing Systems ◽

Home Schools ◽

Critical Part ◽

Endangered Language ◽

New Speakers ◽

Learning Language

There are many paths language revitalization can take, but they are not mutually exclusive. A central aspect of language revitalization is the creation of new speakers. One path is for families to learn and transmit the endangered language at home. Schools are major venues for language learning. Language nests and immersion schools have been especially effective. Adult language education has also become a critical part of language revitalization. Universities and “bootstrap” methods such as the Master-Apprentice Program have been able to bring adults to high proficiency. Linguistic archives have been useful for access to language, especially when there are no speakers left. Modernization of the language is also unavoidable, including new vocabulary and the development of writing systems if necessary. Most importantly, language revitalization should involve increased use of the language, by native speakers and learners alike.

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Researching, Planning, and the Implementation of Tāłtān Language Nests: Sharing our Experiences

Cultural and Pedagogical Inquiry ◽

10.18733/cpi29446 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Edōsdi / Judy Thompson ◽

Gileh / Odelia Dennis ◽

Shāwekāw / Patricia Louie

Keyword(s):

Young Children ◽

Language Revitalization ◽

Community Members ◽

Language And Culture ◽

New Speakers ◽

The Creation ◽

Health And Healing

Since 2012, our nation has been working to revitalize and reclaim our language, with an emphasis on the creation of new speakers. Tahltan Elders have spoken about the importance of our young children learning our language, so a focus has been on teaching babies and toddlers in language nests. A language nest is a home-like environment for infants to learn the language in an immersion setting and provides opportunities for all generations to be part of the revitalization of a language. One of the authors carried out research that focused on Tahltan community experiences of language revitalization. The investigation focused on language revitalization’s connection to health and healing and what needs to be done to revitalize our language. Following recommendations from that research, language nests have been one of the vital components our Language and Culture Program has focused on. The ways in which community members in Tahltan communities have planned and implemented language nests will be discussed, along withe sharing experiences and activities that are currently being carried out.

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Attitudes and Language Use of (Potential) New Speakers of a Minoritized Language: The Case of Adults Learning West Frisian in Formal Courses

Sustainable Multilingualism ◽

10.2478/sm-2019-0014 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 70-88

Author(s):

Guillem Belmar

Keyword(s):

Language Use ◽

Language Revitalization ◽

Language Shift ◽

Minority Language ◽

New Speakers

Summary Adults learning a minoritized language are potential new speakers, that is “adults who acquire a socially and communicatively consequential level of competence and practice in a minority language” (Jaffe, 2015; see also O’Rourke, Pujolar, & Ramallo, 2015). New speakers’ research has become quite common recently, marking a shift from traditional notions of speakerness in minority contexts, built around the Fishmanian discourse of reversing language shift (see Kubota, 2009). The new speaker—actually neo-speaker—is one of the seven categories put forward by Grinevald and Bert (2011), who considered them central to language revitalization. Answering the call for more data on new speakers of minoritized languages in O’Rourke, Pujolar, & Ramallo, 2015, this research aims to start the debate on the new speakers of Frisian (see Belmar, 2018; Belmar, Eikens, Jong, Miedema, & Pinho, 2018; and Belmar, Boven, & Pinho, 2019) by means of a questionnaire filled in by adults learning the language in the evening courses offered by Afûk. This article presents an analysis of their backgrounds, their attitudes towards the language, and their language use.

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The “new” and “traditional” speaker dichotomy: bridging the gap

International Journal of the Sociology of Language ◽

10.1515/ijsl-2014-0034 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 (231) ◽

pp. 107-125 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Michael Hornsby

Keyword(s):

Native Speakers ◽

Language Revitalization ◽

Symbolic Violence ◽

Minority Languages ◽

Language Community ◽

Language Endangerment ◽

Wide Range ◽

Power Differentials ◽

New Speakers ◽

Grammatical Structures

Abstract This article analyzes the tensions and dynamics which exist between “new” speakers and other speakers, such as traditional or native speakers of minority languages (MLs), in an attempt to discover just how much of a barrier to communication are the (perceived) differences which are purported to exist between them. The dynamics between “new” and native speakers seem to be complex and nuanced, and “(in)authenticity” can be indexed through accent, the lexicon and grammatical structures, both by local users and more widely by researchers and other interested third parties, reflecting a wide range of ideo-logical stances. Using a critical sociolinguistic framework, these differences are examined from the perspective of the power differentials among and between various ML speakers/users in two situations of language endangerment, Breton and Yiddish. The reproduction of “symbolic violence”, as described by Bourdieu (1991), which results from such differentials can hinder language revitalization projects and can run counter to the interests of the language community in question. Both settings appear to share a commonality of experience that is wider than just the two language communities under scrutiny here and possible ways of reconciling such differences are examined toward the end of the article.

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The Oxford Handbook of Endangered Languages

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190610029.001.0001 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Keyword(s):

Language Revitalization ◽

Biocultural Diversity ◽

Endangered Languages ◽

Language Documentation ◽

Comprehensive Overview ◽

Diverse Range ◽

Language Endangerment ◽

Reference Volume ◽

New Findings ◽

Comprehensive Reference

The Oxford Handbook of Endangered Languages, in thirty-nine chapters, provides a comprehensive overview of the efforts that are being undertaken to deal with this crisis. Its purposes are (1) to provide a reasonably comprehensive reference volume, with the scope of the volume as a whole representing the breadth of the field; (2) to highlight both the range of thinking about language endangerment and the variety of responses to it; and (3) to broaden understanding of language endangerment, language documentation, and language revitalization, and, in so doing, to encourage and contribute to fresh thinking and new findings in support of endangered languages. The handbook is organized into five parts. Part I, Endangered Languages, addresses some of the fundamental issues that are essential to understanding the nature of the endangered languages crisis. Part II, Language Documentation provides an overview of the issues and activities of concern to linguists and others in their efforts to record and document endangered languages. Part III, Language Revitalization encompasses a diverse range of topics, including approaches, practices, and strategies for revitalizing endangered and sleeping (“dormant”) languages. Part IV, Endangered Languages and Biocultural Diversity, extends the discussion of language endangerment beyond its conventional boundaries to consider the interrelationship of language, culture, and environment. Part V, Looking to the Future, addresses a variety of topics that are certain to be of consequence in future efforts to document and revitalize endangered languages.

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