Module 10: 'Like dropping a bomb on the Louvre'

Language Loss

Evelyn Wicklund

            This unit talked about language loss and how it can be a loss of information, but how exactly does it happen and can it be avoided? Language loss is typically caused from an outside source (Crawford). People generally don’t want to stop speaking their language because it’s part of their culture, identity, and way of life. If a person is forced to stop speaking their language, they lose a sense of who they are. This can cause a language shift. In the videos for this module we learned that when a language shift occurs it can cause parents to stop teaching their children their language out of fear that their children will receive the same bad treatment they received. This means that a language loss needs to happen from within the community (Crawford). If parents didn’t stop teaching their children their native language, the language would be less likely to be lost, less likely for a culture to lose identity. James Crawford suggests this language shift causes cultural values to shift as well (Crawford). Once cultural values begin to shift, the culture as a whole begins to change.

This can be worrisome to linguists and the people who speak an endangered language. Language renewal strategies will then be applied, but if this language renewal comes from an outside source, there is a low chance it will be fruitful (Crawford). Outside help can be helpful, but alone. Nagel states that a number of tribes that have experienced language loss and tried to renew it on their own, it will act as a catalyst to the rejuvenation and a resurgence of their unique identity (Nagel). This revival of an endangered language depends on the whole community to act together. Two ways this could happen would be to teach their native language in their schools on their reservations, and offer classes to adults to learn about their cultural and language as well. Now, this will only work if an indigenous leadership is formed information on what is being done to rejuvenate the language becomes centralized and committed people get involved with sympathetic outsiders (Crawford). The work needs to be centralized in order to see if the tactics being deployed are actually working and if the language is gaining more speakers. People within the cultural also need to work with outsiders because of help getting funding to start programs and to help educators.

If nothing is done, there can be disastrous effects on the people. Loss of identity can cause a lot of stress to build in people of an American Indian community (Nagel). Buildup of stress can cause many physical symptoms to occur such as ulcers, or insomnia. Cultural values and and language should be intertwined, but “For the majority of young Natives today, culture and language have, in fact, been separated. As a result, most of these young people are trying ‘to walk in two worlds’ with only one language” (Cantoni). Feeling internally separated will cause even more stress to the people in these communities. This is why it is imperative that efforts be taken to prevent language loss, not only for the loss of information, but to keep a unique culture and language alive for the people in those communities.

  

References

Gina Cantoni, editor. Stabilizing Indigenous Languages. Flagstaff :Northern Arizona University : [Bilingual/Multicultural Education Program, Center for Excellence in Education [distributor]], 1996. Print.

Crawford, James. "Seven Hypotheses on Language Loss Causes and Cures." (1996).

Nagel, Joane. American Indian ethnic renewal: Red power and the resurgence of identity and culture. Oxford University Press, 1997.