ERIC Number: ED438714
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1999-Sep
Pages: 114
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: ISBN-0-9538248-1-0
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Endangered Languages and Education. Proceedings of the Foundation for Endangered Languages (FEL) Conference (3rd, Maynooth, Ireland, September 17-19, 1999).
Ostler, Nicholas, Ed.
The theme of the third annual Foundation for Endangered Languages (FEL) Conference was Endangered Languages and Education, focusing on how education can be used to promote, resist, and reverse the decline of a language. The conference papers are broken into several sections covering the topic from a variety of aspects and perspectives. "Finding a Policy" looks at the more general issues of how to proceed when the old link between the language and the traditional culture seems to be fraying. The question is considered in three North and South American contexts (among North Dakota American Indians, the Amish community, and Mayans in Guatemala), as well as for the Saami in Norway and the Irish under British rule. "Looking at Learners" switches the focus to the pupils in the education process, surveying attitudes and assessing acquired proficiency in Brittany and New Zealand, where there is a single minority language and a single metropolitan language. In "Working with Non-Written Languages", the special problems of making a bridge between oral and written language education comes to the fore. "Ways and Means" examines practical measures that can be taken to get teaching and learning organized. The examples of Maori in New Zealand and Khoisan in Namibia are examined. The "Role of Standard Dialects" is considered using the case of the disruption of language transmission among Basque dialects in Spain. Finally, "Impacts and Future Prospects" examines the overall impact that education programs seem to be having in preserving endangered languages. (KFT)
Descriptors: African Languages, Afro Asiatic Languages, Baltic Languages, Bilingual Education, Bilingualism, Cultural Maintenance, Cultural Pluralism, Dialects, Finno Ugric Languages, Foreign Countries, Futures (of Society), Heritage Education, Indo European Languages, Language Attitudes, Language Maintenance, Language Minorities, Language of Instruction, Language Standardization, Malayo Polynesian Languages, Maori, Mayan Languages, Melanesian Languages, Official Languages, Oral Language, Second Language Learning, Second Languages, Sino Tibetan Languages, Slavic Languages, Uncommonly Taught Languages, Written Language
Foundation for Endangered Languages, 172 Bailbrook Lane, Bath BA1 7AA, England ($20). E-mail: nostler@chibcha.demon.co.uk; Web site: http://www.agmios.org.
Publication Type: Collected Works - Proceedings
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Foundation for Endangered Languages, Bath (England).
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A