"You’ve got to know your language to understand your culture."
– Beatrice Taylor, Ojibwe

November 2020

We hope you enjoy this update from the NLCC Training and Technical Assistance Center. Please direct any questions or feedback to Cree Whelshula at cree@sisterskyinc.com.

Tidbits

"The program outcomes appeared to support the contentions found in research that, over time, second language learners (1) have improved test scores; (2) are able to think divergently; (3) achieve in their first language; and (4) attract and maintain parent involvement." (qtd. in ACTFL, Language Learning, Cade, J.M.)

Resource cited:

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. Language learning correlates with higher academic achievement on standardized test measures. n.d. Quotation. 15 October 2020. https://www.actfl.org/center-assessment-research-and-development/what-the-research-shows/academic-achievement. Cade, J. M. (1997). The foreign language immersion program in the Kansas City, Missouri Public Schools, 1986-1996 [Abstract]. Dissertation Abstracts International -A 58(10), 3838

What’s New?

The recordings of the Native Language Capacity Building Symposium that was held in September are now ready to view. You can find them here at this link: https://ananlcc.org/native-language-capacity-building-symposium/watch/

Upcoming Events

2020 National Native American Languages Summit

Registration link: http://register.nativelanguagesummit.org/

Language Hope

Unique Challenges of Learning Endangered Languages

Contribution by Cree Whelshula, NLCC TTA Director

Have you ever wondered what the most difficult language in the world to learn is? The answer to that question is, it depends. Languages vary in difficulty depending on your first language.

Most Indigenous children in the United States speak English as their first language. Many Indigenous languages are verb-based and polysynthetic, which makes them very different from English. There are wider phonetic and structural differences between English and Indigenous languages versus learning a second language like French, Spanish, German, etc. If we are not exposed to our Native language before the age of 12, our brain then becomes hardwired for English patterns, intonations, and rules, which can make it even more difficult to grasp concepts in indigenous languages.

Endangered languages often lack learning resources or support materials. Polyglots (people who know many languages) are able to learn many languages so quickly because they usually learn languages that have an abundance of resources that pique their interest. Public school teachers can go to websites like Teachers Pay Teachers (https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/) or order children’s books online. However, a Native language immersion school teacher would need to develop these materials from scratch. Typically, resources that are available in endangered languages are things like papers, word lists, and audio recordings that heavily rely on the learner to be able to figure it out for themselves. If a brand-new learner was to try and self-learn, they would need to depend on these materials as well as learn how to read proficiently first.

I could move to Germany right now and return a year from now a fluent German speaker through simply immersing myself in the language and culture. I have yet to see that as an option for any endangered language learner. There are short opportunities that may be available like immersion camps or through specific programs like master apprentice programs, but nothing that could replicate the experience of an entire community using the Indigenous language as the primary language. Accessibility to classes/language speakers is also a challenge as there are not enough resources to have language programs available in every community or someone’s life circumstances does not allow for them to be within proximity to classes or speakers

Many of our communities are struggling with social ills such as addictions, suicide rates, low academic achievement, poverty, etc. It is hard to add language learning to your list of things to do when you are barely getting by financially or emotionally. It is also difficult to get the resources needed to support language revitalization when there are other concerns that may take precedence. Although language and culture are proven to address almost all social ills found in our communities, a lot of community outreach and education is necessary to get buy in from tribal leadership and the community as a whole.

Endangered language learners and teachers have a lot of unique challenges to overcome. Many wear multiple hats simultaneously as teacher and learner, material developer, maintenance/janitorial, laborer, etc. In understanding the unique challenges, perhaps finding solutions will also come a little easier.

Language Acquisition

Is Grammar Important?

Contribution by Cree Whelshula, NLCC TTA Director

Grammar is the set of rules and structures of language. When we learn our first language, grammar use is acquired naturally through sub-consciousness on why we use the language the way we do. If you heard the sentence, “me went to the store,” you would innately know that sentence is incorrect, but you may not be able to articulate why. In English, although “me” and “I” refer to the same person, “me” is the object pronoun (receives an action) and “I” is the correct subject pronoun (the one doing the action). As a first language English speaker, you would just know by the way it sounds and not through conscious knowledge about grammar rules.

Is grammar important? The simple answer is yes and no. Looking back on our previous article about the unique challenges of endangered language learning, not a lot of opportunity abounds to become immersed into the natural speech of endangered languages. Direct grammar instruction is not particularly important if the person is immersed in the language and acquiring it through comprehensible input. Also, typically adults require more grammar instruction. This is because the brain will prune synaptic connections that it does not use, so adults need to rebuild neural connections on language structures that are not present in English. For example, in my own language, there are at least 5 different sentence structures:

• subject-verb-object (like English);
• verb-object-subject;
• subject-object-verb;
• verb-subject-object; and
• object-subject-verb.

Not to mention there are two separate subject sets, versus the one in English (I, you, (s)he, we, you all, they). Most monolingual adults will try and plug the language that is being learned into the patterns and structures of their first language and many Indigenous languages are quite different from how English operates.

I personally love learning about my language’s grammar, so grammar is an effective method for me as part of my language journey simply because it engages me. I would say learning about the grammar of my language has been extremely instrumental in my learning, but if I only relied on grammar my speaking ability would sound choppy and robotic. It definitely needs to be coupled with other language acquisition methods that promote speaking to be able to sound like a fluid and natural speaker.

In conclusion, grammar instruction may be useful if language learning opportunities are not immersive like a master apprentice program or an immersion nest/school. If you are working with adults who are second language learners, grammar instruction may be a useful strategy to support language acquisition. Sometimes just short grammatical explanations can really expedite the acquisition process, but I wouldn’t rely on grammar as the primary source of language learning. That being said, there may be languages that need to rely a little heavier on grammar due to loss of speakers and limited resources to hear first language speakers. In that case, be sure to create many opportunities to speak to one another and use the language.

Evaluation Proclamations

Performance-based Assessment

Contribution by Cree Whelshula, NLCC TTA Director

Language assessments are necessary for monitoring quality control of language transfer. It is also important to use an assessment that measures language acquisition as accurately as possible as not all assessments are created equally. Many assessments rely on paper/pencil style tests that rely on semantic memory recall. These types of tests are limited in their ability to measure a person's ability to actually use the language, and are more suited for testing what a person knows about the language. For example, one can take a written test about color theory and score high, but can they actually apply it to an art piece in an aesthetically pleasing way? There are actually terms to describe these concepts in regard to language learning. One is called performance language, which is learning in order to pass a test. Another is proficient language. Proficient language is acquiring language to effectively communicate.

Performance-based assessments are a great option for assessing proficient language. A performance-based assessment utilizes tasks that are related to real life situations to demonstrate what the learner can do with the language. Another great feature of performance-based assessments is it allows for freedom of expression from the learner. You can offer learners a menu of options on how to demonstrate their ability to use the language. Here are some examples of activities to use as assessments.

• Role play
• Oral presentation
• Exhibit
• Portfolio
• Storyboard
• eBook / Book
• Illustrations / drawings
• Videos / skits
• Responding to, or giving, Total Physical Response (TPR) direction
• Responding to, or giving, Accelerated Second Language Acquisition (ASLA) or Greymorning directions.
• Language material development
• Topic sticks (pull a stick and talk about that topic)
• Observation of teaching practicum (for those studying to be language teachers)
• Lesson plan (for those studying to be language teachers)

Once you have found some activities that align with the learning goals, you can then develop a rubric to assess as you will need something to be able to give a score to. Below you will see an example that I developed using an online generator you can find at https://www.quickrubric.com/.

Performance-based assessment is a tool that identifies the level of language proficiency and demonstrates the student’s ability to apply or use their knowledge to perform and articulate their language skills as a result of the instruction they have received.

Newsletter Info:

NLCC newsletter is a collaborative effort among the NLCC TTA Center staff and subcontractors, the NLCC Cohort, and the ANA. For the final year of the grant (Year 5), the newsletter is distributed on the 1st Thursday of the Month. Prior to the distribution, we ask the recipieints to provide highlights and to share information regarding their programs as we continue the implementation of this communication and resource tool. To learn more about NLCC and the NLCC TTA Center go to our website: www.ananlcc.org.

If you have any resources, events, or highlights you would like to share, please submit your information to Cree Whelshula at cree@sisterskyinc.com.

Thank you for being part of this networking collaboration!

lemlmtš (Spokane Salish – Thank you)
Qe'ci'yew'yew' (Nimiipuu – Thank you)