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From Interaction to Elaboration: Moving beyond Conversation

Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium May 2011 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque Dr. Freddie Bowles & Dr. George Ann Gregory. From Interaction to Elaboration: Moving beyond Conversation.

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From Interaction to Elaboration: Moving beyond Conversation

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  1. Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium May 2011 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque Dr. Freddie Bowles & Dr. George Ann Gregory From Interaction to Elaboration: Moving beyond Conversation

  2. Viability of a language is supported not only through social realms where it is used, but also through the amount of complexity or linguistic variety in that language. Working Thesis

  3. Stage 8 Only a few elders speak the language Stage 7 Only adults beyond child bearing age speak the language Stage 6 Some intergenerational use of language Stage 5 Language is still very much alive and used in the community Stage 4 Language is required in elementary school Stage 3 Language is used in places of business and by employees in less specialized work areas Stage 2 Language is used by local government and in the mass media in the local community Stage 1 Some language use by higher levels of government and in higher education Fishman

  4. Linguistic Elaboration associated primarily with Stages 4, 2, and 1. • Stage 4 Language is required in elementary school • Stage 2 Language is used by local government and in the mass media in the local community • Stage 1 Some language use by higher levels of government and in higher education Fishman

  5. Biber

  6. BICS-Basic Interpersonal Communication skills • Highly contextualized language (Stage 5) • CALP—Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency • Decontextualized language (Stages 4, 7 & 8) • More words with Greek and Latin roots • Greater variety of vocabulary • Nominalization, subordination, passives • Written in reported speech (past tense, references to distant events and places • Few graphics Cummins

  7. Language loss equals loss of culture. Language represents a way of viewing life. (Whorf) Language reflects a way of thinking and shapes the thinking of children who speak it. (Vygotsky). Working Thesis

  8. Word order—English sentences begin with the actor-action-receiver of the action; Choctaw begins with actor-receiver of action-ends with action. Common images in English involve the use of war—War on drugs; Love is war; Māori use taonga (treasure) to speak about their language Color examples Examples of Viewpoints

  9. Linguistic variability in genres is affected by different elements in different languages. • In English, genre dictates linguistic variability; In Navajo, audience plays a stronger role. • In some languages gender of speaker and audience dictates language variability. • In Choctaw, the distance in time when something happened dictates tense choice. • Whether the agent is known or unknown dictates passive construction in Navajo. Working Thesis

  10. Literate and non-literate cultures • In literate cultures, linguistic elaboration found in writing • In non-literate cultures, linguistic elaboration found in ceremonial and storytelling uses. Akinasso

  11. Fishman assessment • Stage 1– used in academia; used in very limited capacity in national government; used in Rangitu religion and some Māori Anglican churches. • Stages 2 & 3--in iwi, hapu, marae government & business; 2 Māori language TV stations and many radio stations • Stage 4—offered in most elementary and secondary schools; some elementary & secondary immersion schools • ~135,600 speakers Māori Language

  12. Genres & Linguistic elaboration • Legal Documents and Corpus • —Treaty of Waitangi • Ko te TuatoruHei wakaritenga mai hoki tenei mo te wakaaetanga ki te Kawanatanga o te Kuini. Ka tiakina e te Kuini o Ingarani ngatangata maori katoa o Nu Tirani. Ka tukua ki a ratou nga tikanga katoa rite tahi ki ana mea ki nga tangata o Ingarani • Article the Third.In consideration thereof, Her Majesty the Queen of England extends to the Natives of New Zealand Her Royal Protection and imparts to them all the Rights and Privileges of British subjects Māori language

  13. Genres & Linguistic elaboration • Written formal arguments from 19th & 20th Centuries • Te Nūpepao Te AutenāApirinaNgata • He nui to mātoupouri it to mātoukitenga I ētahikupukaoreetikakiaperehitiairototētahio a tatoupepa Maori. • We were very disappointed when we saw language that should not in fact be printed in our Maori papers. • 19th Century Māori newspapers • Māori Bible • Songs • Media and Māori Broadcast Corpus • Plays/literature (limited) • Personal stories • Children’s books Māori language

  14. Fishman assessment • Stage 1—national council conducted in Navajo; some academic-UNM has creative writing in Navajo; ceremonies & some church services • Stage 2—chapter house business conducted in Navajo; several Navajo language radio stations; NNTV • Stages 3& 4 – Navajo owned businesses; a few elementary schools & K-12 programs • ~100,000 speakers (~52%) Navajo Language

  15. Genres & Linguistic elaboration • Traditional ceremonies & Prayers • Some legal documents • Radio/limited TV • Traditional stories • Tséyiyi’íákwe’éni’tát’ahk’éédídlééhjinínashjahii’ łigaigok’éédidlééhjini. • He usually planted at Earth-shelf Place in the Rock Canyon (Sacred Canyon). • 4th person obj = ho/ subject = ji • Personal stories • Children’s books Navajo

  16. Fishman assessment • No stages 1-4 • Stage 5—language alive in some communities; still used in some Choctaw churches • Stage 6—limited if any; most classes offered for teenagers and adults only; young children taught single words and phrases—no real language • ~11,000 speakers (~7 to 10%) Choctaw Language in Oklahoma

  17. Genres & Linguistic elaboration • Mostly from the 19th Century • Legal documents • Yohmikvt kana inlisanalikeyu. Mikmvt kana inlaettemapisakeyu. • Therefore, no one must go against this • Religious literature • Chihowa hvt chukfvlhpoba chomihchit si o, nanah sv bvnna he keyushke. • The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. • Songs/hymns • Newspaper articles • Personal letters • Traditional stories • Poetry • Limited digital productions in present time Choctaw Language in Oklahoma

  18. Fishman assessment • Stages 2-4 • Zuni—has 80-90% fluency & is used in school & local government; ceremonies (9700 speakers) • Tanoan—varies from pueblo to pueblo: used in ceremonies & local governments; classes taught (4000 speakers, 3 languages, 11 pueblos) • Keres—varies from pueblo to pueblo: used in ceremonies & local government; classes taught (7900 speakers in 7 pueblos: 229 speakers to 1880 speakers) Pueblo Languages

  19. Genres & Linguistic elaboration • Ceremonial • Traditional stories • Song • Some religious translations • A few digital media • 1 children’s book in Keresan • Srue “taawanishaatsisutrusa ‘kuun’un’atsasutrusa. • In this way, we will always continue as a strong and healthy people • Male and female language/dialects. Pueblo languages

  20. Maintain current genres and levels of linguistic elaboration Use any extant published written and media sources Use language in new genres with particular attention paid to children and adult literature and expanded media sources for children and adults recommendations

  21. Children’s Books Simon Ortiz—Keres Navajo Māori Choctaw Examples

  22. Adult Literature • Navajo coyote tales: The Curley TóAheedlíinii version • Ofelia Zepeda, Joy Harjo, Simon Ortiz, Nora Yazzie, Colleen Gorman • Shakespeare in Māori Examples

  23. Akinnaso, F. Niyi. (1982). The literate writes and the nonliterate chants: Written language and ritual communication in sociolinguistic perspective. In W. Frawley (Ed.), Linguistics and literacy (pp. 7-36). New York: Plenum Press. Biber, Douglas. (1988). Variation across speech and writing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Cummins, Jim. Fishman, Joshua A. (1991). Reversing Language Shift. Bristol, UK : Multilingual Matters. Vygotsky, L.S. (1962). Thought and language. (E. Haufmann & G. Vakar, Eds. & Trans.). Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind in Society (M. Cole, V. John-Steiner, I. Scribner, & E. Souberman, Eds.). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Whorf, Benjamin. (1956). The relation of habitual thought and behavior to language. In Carroll, John B. (Ed.) Language, thought, and reality: Selected writings of Benjamin Lee Whorf (pp. 134-159). Cambridge, MA: MIT. Suggested readings / References

  24. Freddie A. Bowles fbowles@uark.edu • George Ann Gregory linguisticdoc@drgrammarguru.com Contact informaton

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