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Rejecting the Marginalized Status of Minority Languages

Educational Projects Pushing Back Against Language Endangerment

Ari Sherris editor Susan D Penfield editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Multilingual Matters

Published:20th Nov '19

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Rejecting the Marginalized Status of Minority Languages cover

Provides a unique window into the work going on to reclaim Indigenous, tribal and minority languages across the globe

This book explores Indigenous, tribal and minority (ITM) language education in oral and written communication and in the use of new technologies and online resources for pedagogical purposes. It brings together examples of ITM language education that are challenging the forces that flatten ‘languacultures’ into artefacts of history.

This book explores Indigenous, tribal and minority (ITM) language education in oral and/or written communication and in the use of new technologies and online resources for pedagogical purposes in diverse geopolitical contexts. It demonstrates that ITM language education transpires in both formal and informal spaces for children or adults and that sometimes these spaces are online, where they become de-territorialized discourses of teaching and learning.’ The volume brings together examples of ITM language education that are challenging the forces that flatten ‘languacultures’ into artefacts of history. It also examines the economic and material realities of the people who live in and through their ‘languacultures’, or who aspire to do as much. The book will be useful for educators and all those interested in Indigenous and minority language issues, as well as for a wide range of undergraduate, graduate and research contexts where topics of language education and minority rights are the focus.

Set against a background of social justice and linguistic human rights, the case studies in this book richly illustrate the educational and community efforts being made towards language sustainability and revitalization in places around the world where languages are regarded as of marginalized status. The chapters explore old and new strategies for reclaiming languages, the challenges that are encountered, and the resilience of those who choose to engage in such work. * Keren Rice, University of Toronto, Canada *
This book showcases innovative and inspiring, community-based revitalization efforts, illustrating how the strengthening of language and culture goes hand-in-hand with individual and community self-empowerment. Precisely this combination, the authors convincingly show, paves the road to success, even against seemingly overwhelming odds. * Leena Huss, Uppsala University, Sweden *
This book is a breath of fresh air in the endangered language and revitalization literature. It celebrates achievements of Indigenous and minoritized schools in creating safe places for language use and fostering new generations of speakers over time. Each case study provides usable information on how teachers and allies got the insurmountable done. * Mary S. Linn, Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, USA *

...this volume as a whole represents an important, accessible, and eclectic contribution with useful insights for work in language policy and beyond.

-- Wesley Y. Leonard, University of California, Riverside, USA, Language Policy 21 (2022)

ISBN: 9781788926256

Dimensions: 234mm x 156mm x 14mm

Weight: 424g

184 pages