Language Revitalization > Anishnabemowin Project

LANGUAGE REVITALIZATION PROJECT 20064

Pic River's Language Revitalization Project

Some Background Information

 

The threat of their languages disappearing means that Aboriginal people's distinctive world view, the wisdom of their ancestors and their ways of being human could vanish as well. Language protection requires maintaining or increasing the number of fluent speakers [and] using the language as a medium of communication in everyday life - especially in the family.  Where languages are declining or severely threatened, school immersion programs can help - but a language will not live if it is not used in everyday life. It must be the medium of communication at work, in school, in the media, in government - and most of all, at home. Each Aboriginal nation will have to decide how far it can go in preserving its languages and develop policies to match. In the meantime, the speakers of Aboriginal languages are aging and dying.

 

- Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, 1996 -

 What is the State of Aboriginal Languages in Canada

According to Statistics Canada:

1.                  2001 statistics showed that close to half of the 50 - 70 First Nation Languages in Canada are endangered or near extinction

2.                  10 languages have become extinct over the last 100 years & at least 12 are on the brink of extinction

3.                  Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut were the only languages that were considered Asafe@

4.                  HOWEVER, recent statistics showed a significant decline in Ojibwe and Cree; these are now becoming threatened.

 

 What is the status of the language in our Community? and in our homes?

Take a few minutes, do a quick span of the houses & estimate the number of speakers in our community?  What is their average age?  Where is the language spoken?  What is the rate of language loss in our community?  What information about our history, our values, about who we are will be lost if our language is lost?

                                 

The Very Basics of Language Acquisition

 
 

What is Language Acquisition?

 

  • what happened to you when you first began speaking and continued speaking until you went to school

  • you acquired the language, you did not learn it

  • we call the learning of a mother tongue in infancy and early childhood language acquisition

     

How can you acquire your first language?

  • you listened to the language for a long time

  • as a little baby - all you did was take in language by listening

  • there was no pressure to speak - especially in the early years

  • your speech emerged through stages (words and phrases etc.)

  • corrections were made by parents and family members in the form of modeling

  • parents probably simplified their speech

  • you were never given a vocabulary list to memorize when you were learning to speak

  • you didn't learn how to read and write before you learned to speak

 

Some Critical Moments in Language Acquisition

After hearing the language for a certain amount of hours, are is some milestones:

 

2,000 Hours  Understand 90% of language
6,000 Hours Functional Bilingual
12,000 Hours Fluent Speaker
 

* COMING UP SOON *

..... A Community Based Challenge

......  to track our hours spent listening to the language 
 

How Do We Acquire A Second Language


This  matter long debated by linguists & there are many different theories.  Pic River's language revitalization theoretical framework is based on some of the following theories.  The information presented here is intended to provide some very basic ideas related to the theory.  If you wish for more reading material contact the Band Manager.
 

Language Acquistion Device (LAD) 

  • Noam Chomsky, a leading linguist, says that every human being has a part of the brain which acts naturally in acquiring languages

  • This is referred to as a Language Acquisition Device (LAD)

  • Everyone has a Language Acquisition Device (LAD)

  • To make it simple, think of it has a cup inside your brain

  • This cup needs to be filled with language

  • We use this cup to acquire language

  • The more you hear the language, the fuller your cup gets - the closer you get to language acquisition

  • What do we need to do?.....Fill our cup with language....listen

 

Stephen Krashen's Theory on Language Acquisition  

Pic River is utilizing the model provided by  Stephen Krashen, a world renowned & leading figure in Language Studies.  This summary is intended to provide you with some very basic concepts from his model.

 

What does his theory suggest? 

We acquire a language, as opposed to learning a language

  • Acquisition is the product of a subconscious process very similar to the process children undergo when they acquire their first language.

  • It requires meaningful interaction in the language

Acquiring a language happens in a natural order

  • First we listen for a long time

  • then we speak

  • then comes reading & writing & grammar


Humans acquire language in only one way - by understanding messages

or by receiving "comprehensible input"

  • we must understand the message

  • in order to understand, speakers must provide comprehensible input

  • some ways to provide A comprehensible input @ - using gestures, visuals, objects, games,  body language, and many other techniques to convey the message

Mental blocks prevent the acquisition of language

  • Different factors , such as, anxiety, motivation etc., prevents   input from reaching the language acquisition device

  • These factors act like a filter to our LAD - language acquisition device (our language cup)

  • These factors stop us from acquiring our language

  • We need to be aware of what mental blocks are acting as our filter & stopping our language from filling our cups?

 

 

 

Some Differences Between

"Acquiring a Language" and "Learning a Language"

 

ACQUIRING A LANGUAGE

  • it is Subconscious

  • You don't realize that you are acquiring the language.  You do not think about it.

  • It happens relatively SLOW

  • Acquisition is a slow process, it happens over a long period of time.

  • It is Relatively Permanent

  • Once you have acquired a language, you keep the majority of the knowledge.

  • Spontaneously Comes Out

  • What you have acquired comes out spontaneously, you do not need to think about it.

 

LEARNING A LANGUAGE

  • it is Conscious - Cognitive

  • You realize when you learn something.  You are using your thinking processes.

  • It happens relatively FAST

  • Learning happens over a fast period of time.

  • It is Forgotten Very Quickly

  • Most of the information learned is forgotten quite quickly.

  • You need time to think of your responses