Teaching Indigenous Language Revitalization over Zoom

In this teaching reflection, co-authored by an instructor and a teaching assistant, we consider some of the unanticipated openings for deeper engagement that the “pivot” to online teaching provided as we planned and then delivered an introductory course on Indigenous language documentation, conservation, and revitalization from September to December 2020. We engage with the fast-growing literature on the shift to online teaching and contribute to an emerging scholarship on language revitalization mediated by digital technologies that predates the global pandemic and will endure beyond it. Our commentary covers our preparation over the summer months of 2020 and our adaptation to an entirely online learning management system, including integrating what we had learned from educational resources, academic research, and colleagues. We highlight how we cultivated a learning environment centered around flexibility, compassion, and responsiveness, while acknowledging the challenges of this new arrangement for instructors and students alike. Finally, as we reflect on some of the productive aspects of the online teaching environment—including adaptable technologies, flipped classrooms, and the balance between synchronous and asynchronous class meetings—we ask which of these may be constructively incorporated into face-to-face classrooms when in-person teaching resumes once more.

The Proclaimer: An Emerging Medium for Literacy Promotion and Language Revitalization in Cameroon

Community response to the publication and effective reading of the translated New Testament (NT) into Vernacular New Testament (Henceforth VNT) in different languages in particular, and literacy development in general was not sufficient enough before the inception of Audio Scriptures in Cameroon. One of the obstacles to the reading of the VNT among other literacy materials in local languages is illiteracy. This paper explores the use of Proclaimers (Audio Scriptures) in Bafut, Kom, Kako and Ngiemboon communities. It argues that their use is crucial in the generation of interest in literacy development and the revitalization of the target languages. Data for the study was obtained through quantitative and qualitative approaches. The findings revealed that the effective use of Audio Scriptures enhances the reading of the translated VNT and arouse interest in literacy promotion and the revitalization of the languages under study. The findings are in line with the 20th-century realities of the social media, where there is a growing use of Scriptural and other relevant indigenous information on audio and video formats for effective dissemination and comprehension.

MEMBANGUNKAN BAHASA YANG SEDANG TIDUR DI ALOR: REVITALISASI BAHASA ADANG (Awaken Sleeping Language: Revitalization of Adang Language in Alor)

Revitalization locations for the Adang language learning process are carried out in Alaang Village. The choice of this village due to Alaang Village is located around 30 kilometers from the center of Kalabahi city and is in the middle of the Adang language speaker area. Although it is quite far from the city center, the Alaang people only use the Adang language among the older generation. The target of this activity is the young generation as the next generation of the Adang language. One revitalization activity deals with at least 20 teenagers or children. The learning process is focused on storytelling, poetry, poetry, and singing in Adang. The material is developed based on the daily life of the Adang tribe. The recommendation that can be proposed from this activity is the maintenance of the Adang language that can be carried out by inserting local language learning through local content in schools located in the Adang language area.