The Community Diploma in the Sociolinguistics of Language Revitalization An experiment in training with Mayangna Indians of Nicaragua

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The Community Diploma in the Sociolinguistics of
Language Revitalization An experiment in
training with Mayangna Indians of Nicaraguas
Caribbean Coast region.Dr Jane Freeland
(University of Southampton) jane_at_freeland2.plus.
com
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STRUCTURE

• The Mayangna and their position within a
  multi-ethnic, multilingual social ecology
• - the Mayangna not a homogeneous group
• - sub-group identities and variation
• - differences in language ideology and their
  
• relationship to the official language
  ideology
• The Diplomado Comunitario course
• - aims and structure
• - selection criteria
• - methodology
• - changes between starting and finishing points
• Achievements?
• What did we learn?

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Demography of Nicaraguas Caribbean Coast Region
(PNUD 2005)
ETHNIC GROUP FIRST LANG   Mesti-zos Spanish
ETHNIC GROUP FIRST LANG   Mesti-zos Spanish Mískitu Miskitu Creoles English Creole Mayang- na/Sumu Sumu (C. 14,000) Ulwa/ Sumu Miskitu (Ulwa) Rama English Creole (Rama) Garífu- na (Black Caribs) English Creole (Garífu- na)
of C Coast Popn  72.0 40.88 11.83 5.23 0.41 0.55 0.43
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The Mayangna speak Northern Sumu

• Member of the Misumalpan family Miskitu
  Sumu Matagalpan
• Speakers call it Sumu, Mayangna, or the name
  of the variant they speak, depending on context.
• 2 variants spoken in Nicaragua Panamahka (c.
  10-12,000), Tuahka (c. 2000)
• a 3rd variant spoken in Honduras Tawahka
  (850-1000)

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Indigenous peoples and ethnic communities of
Nicaragua(Buss 200410)
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ETHNOLINGUUISTIC CHAIN HIERARCHY OF NICARAGUAS
CARIBBEAN COAST REGION Key NAME OF GROUP
(language spoken daily by group) original
language, not in general use O/W Oral /
Written (in 1979)

• MESTIZOS
• (Spanish OW)
• CREOLES
  
  (Kriol O)/ MISKITU Standard
  English (miskitu OW) O,W
• GARIFUNA RAMA
• (Creole) (Rama Cay Creole)
• Garifuna Rama
• SUMU-MAYANGNA
• Panamahka (O) Tuahka (O) Ulwa (O)

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Key differences between Reserve and Mining
Triangle villages
Reserve Mining triangle
Mayangna villages contiguous over an area ? less interethnic contact intensive strict rules on intermarriage and language preserve intergenerational transmission in multilingual context traditional activities now acquiring new validity in modern economy language use therefore still rooted in traditional activities and can also extend into new domains Traditional territories fell within war zone military tested claims to be Mayangna by demanding they speak Sumu ? language now strongly iconized Miskitu spoken only with Miskitu community outsiders Mayangna villages scattered among Miskitu and Mestizo villages many ethnically mixed villages ? intensive interethnic contact no rules on intermarriage and language ? growing predominance of Miskitu in family and community life traditional activities compete/conflict with money economy , associated by some with poverty increasing discontinuity between traditional language and extension into new domains no strategic involvement in contra war many villages received both Miskitu and Mayangna refugees Miskitu used as part of within-community repertoire
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Language ideology/ discourse on language

• Reserve language communities language strongly
  iconized i.e. an indicator of indigenous
  identity, and associated with territory
• - a certain purism, especially concerning
  Miskitu interference ? rejection of Tuahka
  variant as contaminated
• - this ideology also reflected in communicative
  practice
• - ideology coincides with that underlying
  bilingual-intercultural education
• and language rights discourse
• Mining triangle villages language iconized in
  their public rhetoric on revitalization, derived
  from minority rights discourse and legislation on
  language rights
• - this ideology not reflected in communicative
  practices
• - identity expressed/negotiated through both
  Mayangna and Miskitu, though Spanish still
  regarded as outsider language
• - mismatch therefore between local language
  ideology and discourses on
• revitalization of Reserve and public
  discourses

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Conception of the Diplomado Comunitario

• Central assumption
• - urgent need for training that centred in the
  social aspects of Mayangna revitalization, to
  enable communities to develop their own
  strategies, based in local language ideologies
  and practices
• - this would complement training in language
  documentation already going forward
• Central aims
• - to enable communities to research and
  understand the sociolinguistics of Mayangna in
  their own community, including language attitudes
  / local language ideologies
• - to enable students to stimulate actions and
  strategies to revitalize and maintain Mayangna,
  based in the results of this research, including
  prior ideological clarification of what their
  own communities mean by, expect from, and worry
  about revitalization
• - to get rid of the guilt factor
• - to enable students to generate ideas and
  materials that would encourage people in the
  community to use their language in enjoyable
  ways
• In the event, this process centred on collecting
  examples of Mayangna culture still alive in the
  village songs, stories, riddles, artefacts,
  recipes, and returning them to the communities

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Selection criteria

• - Mining Triangle communities prioritized, but
  with good representation of Reserve communities.
  Eventual proportion 11Mining Triangle 4Reserve
• - Community leaders (from each community, one
  anciano/a and one younger leader, with some
  training), selected by the community, and
  approved by territorial authorities ancianos/as
  feel marginalized from revitalization processes
  currently centred in schools or with linguistics
  teams school teachers feel they carry too much
  responsibility
• - Speakers of Panamahka or Tuahka, but able to
  understand Spanish course to be co-taught by
  Freeland and Eloy Frank, Mayangna co-ordinator of
  the Institute for Research and Promotion of
  Langauge and Culture at URACCAN
• - Literate. This criterion changed on
  consultation with communities and territorial
  authorities, since it effectively excluded all
  ancianos/as. Instead, literacy classes were
  included, at the request of the ancianas/os
  themselves, as a transversal course running
  throughout
• ? An URACCAN Community Diploma this format
  allows more teaching time with less academic
  content and less formal testing also emphasised
  that revitalization would be a community matter.

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Methodology

• Beginning in debate and discussion of
  students experience as members of their
  communities
• Moving on to analysis of key issues, using
  relatively simple sociolinguistic research
  instruments
• - observation of contexts of use
• - community house-to-house surveys, linking
  language and ethnic allegiance
• - interviews and focus group work, especially
  on life histories
• These techniques practised in class, with
  discussion of their cultural appropriateness
  class practice based on students experience in
  their communities, then carried out in two local
  communities
• Findings analysed and shared in class,
  comparing communities and noting differences
• Units in each session considered examples of
  revitalization strategies in Latin America and
  other parts of the world (USA, New Zealand, etc.)
  and the possibility of adapting them to these
  communities (or not)
• Units in each session assisting students to
  design and develop strategies for and with their
  own communities choice of collecting cultural
  artefacts made by the class
• Final session based on sharing students work
  on this aspect, discussing intellectual property
  rights, decisions about how best to return
  results to the communities

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Contexts of use compared across communities
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Contexts of use compared across communities
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Checking representations
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Fenicia village map
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Walangwas mapping the village
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Map transferred to paper for photocopying into
dossier
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Cultural resource added at later stage
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Mapping of Bethlehem on tuna bark
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Mobility map - Españolina
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Collating data community visit
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Wisihbin (Fenicia) census data
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Group work comparing communities
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Learning to use recorders
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Literacy homework
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(No Transcript)
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(No Transcript)
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Recording Mayangna hymns for CD
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Whistle for attracting casucos
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Demonstrating hunting whistle
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Collecting traditional recipes
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Story-telling
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Radio Rosita - broadcasting in Mayangna
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Meeting with Moravian pastors
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Lineup for graduation procession
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Graduates and teachers
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Problems, modifications, lessons 1

• Course originally designed as a research
  project, to be funded by Ford Foundation, from
  whom initially good reaction. But a change in
  their policy on indigenous education ruled it
  out.
• Eventually funded by SAHI Norway, at URACCANs
  request, as part of a package of courses
• As an URACCAN course, became subject to
  unforeseen constraints
• - Issues over payment of student grants
  university made unannounced changes, based on
  their experience with undergraduates, paying
  grants in kind with no cash. Students interpreted
  this as disrespect for their status leaders,
  accusing university of spending their money on
  the new dormitory and eating facilities. Several
  ancianos/as left the course and sent
  replacements
• ? Lack of continuity difficulties especially
  for Eloy as both university staff and a Mayangna
  leader upset selection criteria, disturbed
  balance between young/old, male/female, slackened
  criteria of community endorsement.
• Encuentro system too intensive not enough
  time for people to digest, despite spiral
  construction of teaching units. At end of course,
  students asked whether regular one-week workshops
  could be arranged from time to time this would
  fit better with their cultivation patterns,
  require shorter absences from communities, but
  depend on funding.

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Problems, adaptations, lessons 2

• Initially too much based in writing
  over-estimated literate skills in younger leaders
  they were to have worked in pairs with
  non-literate in the use of some texts written in
  Spanish e.g. Fishmans GIDS scale.
• ? Requests for materials to be translated in
  Mayangna not possible in the time
• ? Moved to entirely oral presentation in 2
  languages, with conclusions, or research
  instruments developed, written up on whiteboard,
  in Mayangna. These then typed up and included in
  a dossier presented at the end of the encuentro.
  Very positive rich discussions about
  translation excitement at seeing what we had
  done in writing
• Relationships between ancianos/as and younger
  members, especially women our concern to end
  anciano marginalization led to over-emphasis on
  their views (see examination of this in Kroskrity
  and Field, 2009 introduction) need to combat a
  pattern where they made long speeches, to which
  younger people listened silently and with respect
  
• ? group work, with differently composed groups
  sometimes decided by lot, to allow for different
  styles constant re-arrangement of seating then
  sharing views in plenary sessions a gradual
  process of change
• Follow-up is delayed by University final
  tranche of funding, not yet disbursed
• - follow-up to consist of cleaning up
  recordings of songs and stories, putting them on
  to CD for distribution to communities, in
  response to community and student request, some
  transcription and creation of e.g. songbooks,
  storybooks not for school use mounting a
  website

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Graduation hairdo