Can schools save indigenous languages? : policy and practice on four continents / edited by Nancy H. Hornberger.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Hornberger, Nancy H.

Series:

Palgrave studies in minority languages and communities

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Language and languages--Study and teaching.

Language and languages.

Linguistic minorities--Education.

Linguistic minorities.

Language revival.

Physical Description:

xvi, 182 pages ; 22 cm.

Place of Publication:

Basingstoke [England] ; New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.

Summary:

Can Schools Save Indigenous Languages? offers a close look at cases of indigenous language revitalization on four continents: Maori in Aotearoa New Zealand, Sami in the Nordic countries, Hnahno in Mexico, and indigenous languages in Latin America. Contributions by experts from each case are in turn discussed in international perspective by four counterpart experts. Starting from the premise that indigenous language revitalization is worth doing, the focus here is on HOW to do it, and in particular, the role of schools in that endeavour. Schools alone are not enough to do the job, but in tandem with other social institutions, can be a strategic resource. Indigenous language revitalization is never only about language, but also about the identities and experiences of speakers and communities. The authors advocate for the rights of indigenous peoples to exercise both voice and choice in determining their own indigenous language revitalization and education processes.

Contents:

1 Introduction: Can Schools Save Indigenous Languages? Policy and Practice on Four Continents / Nancy H. Hornberger 1

Part I Case Studies on Four Continents

2 'Out on the fells, I feel like a Sami': Is There Linguistic and Cultural Equality in the Sami School? / Vuokko Hirvonen 15

3 Top-down and Bottom-up: Counterpoised Visions of Bilingual Intercultural Education in Latin America / Luis Enrique Lopez 42

4 Maori-medium Education: Current Issues and Challenges / Stephen May, Richard Hill 66

5 Learning with Differences: Strengthening Hnahno and Bilingual Teaching in an Elementary School in Mexico City / Nicanor Rebolledo Recendiz 99

Part II Commentaries: International Perspectives on the Case Studies

6 Revitalization through Indigenous Education: a Forlorn Hope? / Leena Huss 125

7 Commentary from an African and International Perspective / Nkonko M. Kamwangamalu 136

8 Riding the Tiger / Bernard Spolsky 152

9 Schools as Strategic Tools for Indigenous Language Revitalization: Lessons from Native America / Teresa L. McCarty 161.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0230013325

9780230013322

OCLC:

183926459

Online:

Contributor biographical information

Publisher description