Discusses the influence of French and English on the Akwesasne Mohawk language over the last three centuries. Linguistic and sociocultural influences are shown. (NCR)

Examines the challenge posed by the naturalist philosophy of language--the view that the meanings of symbols are fixed by the environment. Compares the naturalist philosophy with that presented in an activist Native American essay that argues for the preservation of traditional native languages. (SRT)

Since 1978, basic research on bilingual education in Mexico has prevailed, especially related to Indian languages. Action research has also been more fruitful than in the past. The few objective evaluations conducted have been notable for the publication of a wide range of results. (Author/BW)

As a world community, Indigenous peoples are faced with many common challenges in their attempts to maintain the vitality of their respective languages and to honor the "natural order of the Creator." Ten strategies are discussed that are critical to the task of renewing and maintaining Indigenous languages. These strategies are: (1)…

Two Native people describe their respective journeys to healing, journeys that involved the rediscovery of language and culture. In Part I, "Healing the Tears of Yesterday by the Drum Today: The Oneida Language Is a Healing Medicine" (Grafton Antone), the first narrator taught the Oneida language to adult students at a community center.…

A salient characteristic of the morpho-lexical systems of the Salish languages is the widespread use of reduplication in both derivational and inflectional functions. Salish reduplication signals such typologically common categories as "distributive/plural,""repetitive/continuative," and "diminutive," the cross-linguistically marked but typically…

This digest considers issues, possible solutions, and successful efforts in dealing with Native language loss, maintenance, and restoration in American Indian and Alaska Native communities and schools. The preservation and maintenance of the remaining 210 tribal languages is a major cultural and education concern in Native communities. The problem…

In recent years, several Andean nations have implemented reforms addressing the educational and social marginalization of Indigenous populations. Bilingual-intercultural education plays a prominent role in these reforms, and national bureaucracies have arisen around the goals of linguistic standardization and development of Indigenous language…

This document is an eleven-page supplemental subject guide listing reference material that focuses on Native American languages that is not available in the Labriola National American Indian Data Center in the Arizona State University, Tempe (ASU) libraries. The guide is not comprehensive but offers a selective list of resources useful for…

Discusses the education of Indian children (Navajo) in kindergarten who learn in a bilingual-bicultural program. Their instruction begins in Navajo, with English taught as a second language. (Author/RK)

Analyzes the American Indian Movement (AIM) with respect to (1) the role of tradition in AIM demands; (2) militant Indian rhetoric as a form of ritual self-address; (3) how Indian religious/cultural beliefs restrict the ability of language to persuade Whites; and (4) how militant Indian rhetoric fulfills its function. (PD)

Explores aspects of math avoidance 'syndrome' among elementary and secondary students of American Indian and Alaskan Native backgrounds, emphasizing the role of linguistic factors and familiarity with traditional tribal strategies for mathematical problem solving. Available from Linguistic Association of the Southwest, Department of English,…

Fifth-grade teacher describes her experience teaching Chippewa-Cree children at Rocky Boy Elementary School on the Rocky Boy reservation in Montana. (PKP)

Fort Belknap College has embarked on an ambitious project in Montana to pull the Gros Ventre and the Assiniboine languages back from the brink. On the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, where there are two principal tribes, only a handful of Gros Ventre, or White Clay, members are still fluent in the traditional tongue. The "tribal…