'Don't Just Collect Words': Strategies for Advanced Indigenous Language Learning

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Bibliographic Details
Title: 'Don't Just Collect Words': Strategies for Advanced Indigenous Language Learning
Language: English
Authors: Nicki Benson
Source: Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics / Revue canadienne de linguistique appliquée. 2024 27(2):26-51.
Availability: Canadian Association of Applied Linguistics / Association Canadienne de Linguistique Appliquée. Departement de langues, linguistique et traduction, Pavillon de Koninck, Universite Laval, Quebec, QC G1K 7P4, Canada. Web site: https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/CJAL
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 26
Publication Date: 2024
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Adult Education
Descriptors: Advanced Courses, Canada Natives, Tribes, Language Maintenance, Second Language Learning, Foreign Countries, Native Speakers, Cultural Maintenance, Language Proficiency, Adult Learning, Applied Linguistics, Academic Achievement, Mentors, Learning Processes, American Indian Languages, Community Cooperation, Educational Strategies, Language Teachers
Geographic Terms: Canada
ISSN: 1481-868X
1920-1818
Abstract: Advanced adult Indigenous language speakers are essential in Indigenous language revitalization (ILR). As first language speakers age and pass away, communities increasingly depend on adults with high proficiency to carry the language forward (Fishman, 1991; Hinton, 2011; W.H. Wilson, 2018). Yet, few studies in ILR focus on adult learners, and fewer still on adults working on advanced proficiency. Similarly, in the field of applied linguistics (AL), minimal attention has been given to strategies for advanced language learning, and less still to Indigenous language learning (Daniels & Sterzuk, 2022; McIvor, 2020). This paper presents the results of a study aimed at understanding how adult Indigenous language learners have achieved advanced proficiency, including cases where there are few or no first language speakers to rely on for mentorship. It presents specific strategies and techniques that participants implemented to successfully progress to advanced proficiency. Insights from this context are shared to further understandings of, and possibilities for, greater connections between AL and ILR.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: EJ1465178
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:Advanced adult Indigenous language speakers are essential in Indigenous language revitalization (ILR). As first language speakers age and pass away, communities increasingly depend on adults with high proficiency to carry the language forward (Fishman, 1991; Hinton, 2011; W.H. Wilson, 2018). Yet, few studies in ILR focus on adult learners, and fewer still on adults working on advanced proficiency. Similarly, in the field of applied linguistics (AL), minimal attention has been given to strategies for advanced language learning, and less still to Indigenous language learning (Daniels & Sterzuk, 2022; McIvor, 2020). This paper presents the results of a study aimed at understanding how adult Indigenous language learners have achieved advanced proficiency, including cases where there are few or no first language speakers to rely on for mentorship. It presents specific strategies and techniques that participants implemented to successfully progress to advanced proficiency. Insights from this context are shared to further understandings of, and possibilities for, greater connections between AL and ILR.
ISSN:1481-868X
1920-1818