scholarly journals Language Revitalization

Author(s):  
Aidan Pine ◽  
Mark Turin

The world is home to an extraordinary level of linguistic diversity, with roughly 7,000 languages currently spoken and signed. Yet this diversity is highly unstable and is being rapidly eroded through a series of complex and interrelated processes that result in or lead to language loss. The combination of monolingualism and networks of global trade languages that are increasingly technologized have led to over half of the world’s population speaking one of only 13 languages. Such linguistic homogenization leaves in its wake a linguistic landscape that is increasingly endangered. A wide range of factors contribute to language loss and attrition. While some—such as natural disasters—are unique to particular language communities and specific geographical regions, many have similar origins and are common across endangered language communities around the globe. The harmful legacy of colonization and the enduring impact of disenfranchising policies relating to Indigenous and minority languages are at the heart of language attrition from New Zealand to Hawai’i, and from Canada to Nepal. Language loss does not occur in isolation, nor is it inevitable or in any way “natural.” The process also has wide-ranging social and economic repercussions for the language communities in question. Language is so heavily intertwined with cultural knowledge and political identity that speech forms often serve as meaningful indicators of a community’s vitality and social well-being. More than ever before, there are vigorous and collaborative efforts underway to reverse the trend of language loss and to reclaim and revitalize endangered languages. Such approaches vary significantly, from making use of digital technologies in order to engage individual and younger learners to community-oriented language nests and immersion programs. Drawing on diverse techniques and communities, the question of measuring the success of language revitalization programs has driven research forward in the areas of statistical assessments of linguistic diversity, endangerment, and vulnerability. Current efforts are re-evaluating the established triad of documentation-conservation-revitalization in favor of more unified, holistic, and community-led approaches.

2013 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
pp. 190-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Durk Gorter

This article offers an overview of the main developments in the field of linguistic landscape studies. A large number of research projects and publications indicate an increasing interest in applied linguistics in the use of written texts in urban spaces, especially in bilingual and multilingual settings. The article looks into some of the pioneer studies that helped open up this line of research and summarizes some of the studies that created the springboard for its rapid expansion in recent years. The focus is on current research (from 2007 onward), including studies that illustrate main theoretical approaches and methodological development as key issues of the expanding field, in particular when applied in settings of societal multilingualism.Publications on the linguistic landscape cover a wide range of innovative theoretical and empirical studies that deal with issues related to multilingualism, literacy, multimodality, language policy, linguistic diversity, and minority languages, among others. The article shows some examples of the use of the linguistic landscape as a research tool and a data source to address a number of issues in multilingualism. The article also explores some possible future directions. Overall, the various emerging perspectives in linguistic landscape research can deepen our understanding of languages in urban spaces, language users, and societal multilingualism in general.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dinara S. Sultan ◽  
Tatiana G. Bochina ◽  
Atirkul Ye. Agmanova ◽  
Yevgeniya A. Zhuravleva

Conservation and development of minority languages in countries unique in the ethno-linguistic aspect, such as Russia and Kazakhstan, are highly relevant. Wide linguistic diversity, on the one hand, and dominance of the official Russian in Russia and the official Kazakh and Russian languages in the socio-communicative system of society in Kazakhstan, on the other hand, determine the linguistic landscape and peculiarities of multilingualism in these states. Research interest in linguistic contacts of a modern multiethnic society has determined the choice of the processes of linguistic and ethnic identification, related issues of conservation and using the native language and culture by representatives of various ethnic groups living in Russia and Kazakhstan, as well as the specifics of their interaction and mutual influence under new geopolitical conditions as the object of the study


Multilingua ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-168
Author(s):  
Michael Wroblewski

AbstractThis article takes a linguistic anthropological approach to analyzing multilingualism in the linguistic landscape of the Amazonian city of Tena, Ecuador, a key locus of indigenous Kichwa language revitalization, identity formation, and politics. Following recent scholarly reconsiderations of multilingual linguistic landscapes as sites of ideological contestation and performative display, I seek to expand on the foundational concept of ethnolinguistic vitality. Building on an analysis of shifting materiality and semiotics of bilingual Kichwa-Spanish hospital signs, I argue for the use of longitudinal and deep ethnographic study of public sign-making in progress to identify oppositional struggles over ethnolinguistic authority, or control of authorship in displays of ethnolinguistic presence. In Tena, Kichwa-language signage represents a new venue for the decolonization of politics, the performance of indigeneity, and the centralization of state power, which are expressed through competing visions by agents with distinct ideological orientations toward language. I submit ethnolinguistic authority as a critical concern for the ethnographic study of public inscriptions of minority languages, which reflect contrasting ideologies of language, notions of group identity, and claims to representational sovereignty.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (245) ◽  
pp. 1-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald Roche

AbstractTibet’s linguistic diversity is undergoing drastic transformations in the twenty-first century. In this article, I begin my examination of this issue by outlining the extent of Tibet’s linguistic diversity, including not only its numerous Tibetic languages, but also its non-Tibetic minority languages. Using a “language ecology” approach, I examine the mechanisms that have produced and maintained this diversity, as well as the ways this diversity was spatially and socially patterned. I argue that these processes and patterns were largely maintained up until the twenty-first century, when the Chinese state’s program to “Open the West” unleashed an ideologically driven modernization program on Tibet, radically altering its language ecology. I argue that the present trends emerging from this process are likely to continue throughout the twenty-first century, resulting in both language loss and the emergence of new languages, leaving the overall language ecology fundamentally altered by the beginning of the twenty-second century. It is hoped that this article will not only provide a useful framework for future discussions on linguistic diversity in Tibet, but will also focus attention on the challenges facing individual languages in Tibet today.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 12-28
Author(s):  
Basanta Kandel

 Diversity in the linguistic landscape is a common phenomenon in multilingual country Nepal. We observe varied textual forms of language and signs in public spaces and spheres that surround us. Therefore, this study concerns to analyze the signs in linguistic landscapes in multilingual urban settings in Nepal. It reveals the status of different languages, deals with issues related to multilingualism, language policy, linguistic diversity, minority languages, hierarchies, and users. Besides, it observes intricacies of language contact and choice, power and status of language groups, and sociolinguistic situation. For this, observation and interpretative method of qualitative research were employed, 150 photographs were purposively snapped from five urban spaces in two month time. The signs were analyzed, compared and contrasted using a thematic approach with relevant theoretical backup. The finding revealed that the choice of language on signs bases on sign writer’s skill, presumed reader and symbolic value (Spolsky & Cooper, 1991). The study explored that the majority of urban linguistic landscapes are occupied by English signs, and English imperialism is a greater challenge for Nepali and vernacular languages. It is inferred that diversity in linguistic landscapes is the concrete manifestation of multilingual society where languages battle for their existence; therefore, the multilingual policy is the stipulation of the day.


Author(s):  
Diana Cárdenas ◽  
Roxane de la Sablonnière ◽  
Donald M. Taylor

Indigenous languages are at the verge of extinction. For many indigenous communities, saving their languages means protecting one of the last-standing symbols of their cultural identity, a symbol that has survived a history of colonization and that can impact their well-being. If indigenous languages are to survive, language revitalization strategies need to be adopted by indigenous communities and governments. One such strategy is language revitalization planning, where communities and governments are actively engaged in changing the way group members use language. Language revitalization plans are often derived from two theoretical stands, either language reversal theory (which adopts a language-autonomy perspective) or language vitality (which focuses on the factors that favor a linguistic group’s survival). Language revitalization strategies also involve some form of bilingual education. Bilingual education in indigenous communities allows indigenous children to learn, and hence to gain competency in, both their indigenous language and the mainstream language. Strong forms of bilingualism, as opposed to weak forms of bilingualism, have great potential for nourishing competency in indigenous languages, because they give equal value to the indigenous language and the mainstream language. Language revitalization strategies also need to consider the collective functions of language, or how groups use their language. Language can be used by groups as a vehicle for cultural knowledge, as a symbol of identity, and as a tool for communicating in formal and informal settings. Strengthening the collective function of indigenous languages is essential to their survival. In the case of indigenous people, every single step taken to revitalize their languages (language planning, bilingual education, and the collective functions of language) is an affirmation of their continuous existence in the world, upholding their distinctiveness from colonizers. This “collective existential affirmation” of indigenous people may very well be the drive needed to achieve language revival.


2019 ◽  
pp. i-xvi
Author(s):  
Maria Kok ◽  
Esa Penttilä ◽  
Henna Massinen ◽  
Ilja Moshnikov ◽  
Susanna Tavi ◽  
...  

This introduction article discusses language vitality and language diversity in connection with linguistic well-being, which were the main ideas reflected behind the theme of the AFinLA Autumn Symposium 2018, “Keeping languages alive”. Linguistic well-being is a new concept that addresses the issues related to language policy and linguistic practices within a speech community and how these impact the individual members of that community. Among the main factors behind linguistic well-being we find linguistic human rights, which emphasize, for example, the right for anyone to identify with one or more languages without being discriminated and the right for basic education in one’s own language. These rights are particularly linked to how endangered and minority languages are treated in the society and they can be actively promoted by language policy and education. However, linguistic well- being is not just a matter of minorities but it affects the whole community. The more diverse the language environment and linguistic landscape of a speech community is, the healthier and more affluent the whole community is – both its minority and majority language speakers.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 (231) ◽  
pp. 107-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Hornsby

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.


Author(s):  
Dr. Sushma Patil ◽  
Dr. Vikrant Patil

Thyroid disorders are common worldwide. Thyroid dysfunction, both hypo- and hyperthyroidism may increase the risk of cardiovascular disorders. Current thyroid function tests may have limitations since they only measure the total or free T4 and/or T3 and TSH serum concentrations in peripheral blood and not the effect of T4 or T3 serum on different specific target tissues. Several comorbid conditions can interfere with the absorption or increase the clearance of levothyroxine. Among patients treated with thyroid replacement, under or overmedicated may-be at risk for adverse health consequences. A wide range of drugs may interfere with levothyroxine absorption, metabolism, and action. Patients report a lack of well-being, despite reaching euthyroid reference range of TSH, with psychological distress. If we will consider Thyroid related conditions as a syndrome then research perspective at the pathophysiology, interrelation between symptoms and comorbidities will be much broader that can lead researchers to get insights of different pathways in which thyroid gland functioning can be perceived and dealt therapeutically. The deliberation of thyroid disorder as a syndrome can affluence our knowledge of correlating cofounders, action of thyroid hormones on target tissues, underlying cause and thyroid health.


Author(s):  
Sigit Arifwidodo ◽  
Orana Chandrasiri

Public Park is considered one of the essential settings for physical activity, especially in urban areas. Parks support physical activity through their accessibility, their provision to facilitate active pursuits; their capacity to provide opportunities to a wide range of users; and their semi-permanent nature. The paper explores the design intervention assessment of Benchakitti Park, which serves as the pilot project for active park and showcase during the past ISPAH 2016 conference. The objective of the paper is to understand the health and well-being benefits of an urban park in increasing PA levels of urban population and promoting a healthy and active lifestyle. Keywords: Public park; physical activity; urban landscape design; public health; SOPARC


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