Module 2 Blog Post: Technology and Native Languages

Previously, many Native American languages were used primarily to communicate about the rural environments that the Native American’s were living in; but now, with modern technology and urban settings, many native languages have changed by adapting new words and phrases to describe modern society.

The first thing that stuck out to me while researching how technology has influenced native languages was not that native languages have had to change due to technology; rather, technology has been used to preserve certain native languages. Social media, blog posts, and online dictionaries have all been used in the past decade in some form to help preserve many native languages by gathering those interested in the cause in one place together. For example, I came across a Facebook group called “Lakota Language for Beginners” that has over 23,000 members. Large gatherings of these native speakers (and even non speakers who are still interested in the cause) online creates a sense of community, and allows those who know the language to work with others in preservation efforts.

Marie Wilcox, the last fluent speaker of Wukchumni (a small tribe with 200 members) dedicated much of her life to create the first Wukchimni dictionary by remembering certain words that her grandparent’s spoke to her as a child as an effort to keep the tribe educated on their native language (Bentley). She did this all on her own, with the help of her grandson to create an audio version of the dictionary. In situations like Marie’s, if she had online resources to reach out to others who might have known some Wukchumni words, it is possible that she could have used these resources to help her write her dictionary.

On the “Lakota Language for Beginner’s” Facebook group page, pinned at the top is an extensive post (shared by the groups administration) on how members can contribute to preventing the language from becoming even more “critically endangered” than it already is, through learning. The lessons are beginner level and are completely free, and offered through the Facebook page.

Curious to see how Native American’s use Facebook (and other social media forms) on a usual basis, I clicked on one of the “Lakota Language for Beginner’s” admin’s, Uŋpa Nuŋpa’s, personal Facebook page. Uŋpa is a very active voice in the Native American community when it comes to preserving native traditions and languages. He uses his Facebook page to spread awareness of the importance of learning the Lakota Language. Several other Native Americans are connected with him on Facebook, and I'm sure if I had looked deeper, I could have found many more that were online.

While native Languages have not added new words or phrases based on the influence of technology, the influence of technology has helped preserve several languages and connect speakers across the United States with each other. I never would have though that using technology would have any benefit for Native Americans, but after doing this research my perspective has really changed. 

Works Cited:

Bentley, Andrew. Native American Blog by National Relief Charities, NRCprograms.org. "Two Worlds: Native Language Meets Technology N.p., 27 Mar. 2015. Web. 05 Feb. 2017.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/lakotabeginners/

Module 1 Blog Post: Language Barriers in Life-or-Death situations

Most people don’t think of language as being a dangerous barrier when it comes to life-threatening situations. When I was 4 years old, I was diagnosed with Anaphylaxis’s, meaning that I go into severe shock when I eat foods that I am allergic to, causing my throat to swell shut and making me have to seek immediate emergency medical treatment. Living with something like this has been very scary for both me and my parents, but my parents have also been determined for me to experience a normal life, and share their passion of traveling. The foods that I can’t eat (all nuts, sesame products, and seafood) are easily avoidable, but the fact that I have an allergy has to be communicated to whoever is preparing my food no matter where I go, even if I am traveling and it has to communicated in a language that is other than English.

 I have traveled to many places where non-English speakers are serving my food, such as Mexico, Hawaii, and parts of Europe, and I have had to learn how to communicate how serious my food allergies are in languages that I do not normally speak. I have worked with my allergy doctor, school teachers, and online resources to learn enough of the language to communicate what I need to say at restaurants. It can be hard to not only say the words in the different language, but also communicate the seriousness of the message I am conveying, while not speaking the language fluently. There are also many restaurants even in the US that I have been to where the chefs and wait staff are not English speakers.

Below I have listed two different translations of what I would typically have to say if I was in a restaurant environment in a different country. I’m using Spanish and French as examples, because they are the two main languages that I have had to use in different countries. The differences between the two phrases are the emphasis on the allergy that I have, in Spanish the word used to do this is “muy” and in French is its “trés”. Putting in an adjective such as muy or tres (both translating into “very”), is one strategy I have learned in order to communicate my point of how serious my allergies are.

Spanish:

I am allergic to nuts- soy alergico a las nueces

I am severely allergic to nuts- Soy muy alérgico a las nueces

French:

I am allergic to nuts- Je suis allergique aux noix

I am severly allergic to nuts-Je suis très allergique aux noix

Knowing how to communicate a serious medical conditions in another language is an important life-skill for anyone who is interested in traveling to new places. I personally try not to view languages as a "barrier" because knowing different languages can provide endless opportunities. Learning how to convey my condition in other languages has just added to the knowledge that I have of the language and made me closer to those who speaking it.