OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this research were twofold:

Learning about the symbolic meaning of Inuvialuktun

More specifically put, one might ask: Do Inuvialuit consider it necessary to maintain their heritage language in order to keep alive their ancestral identity in a social environment that has been permeated by the monolingual use of English in all spheres of public and private life? To obtain insight on these dynamics, this research sought to study three different age groups of Inuvialuit, attending several educational institutions in the town of Inuvik.

The study was concerned with finding answers to such questions as: What is the symbolic value of Inuvialuktun in relation to cultural identity? Does language re-acquisition solidify Inuvialuit identity?
Do the role of heritage language and its acquisition fluctuate between generations or between life stages? What language attitudes and ideologies are present among Inuvialuit, and what do they tell us about potential obstacles and/or opportunities regarding language learner motivation?

Learning about what motivates students

As evident in the last question, the applied aim of this research was to shed light on the place of Inuvialuktun in the lives of current and potential learners in order to aid local Inuvialuit language planners, such as the Inuvialuit Cultural Resource Centre, in identifying potential strategies for language learning and motivation. If the teacher (and the student) know why they want to learn/teach Inuvialuktun, then more attention can be given to these underlying reasons, thereby stimulating both teacher and student motivation.

DEFINITIONS

WHAT IS LANGUAGE ATTITUDE?

According to Crystal (1992), "language attitudes are feelings people have about their own language or the languages of others." An example of a language attitude is the pride people often take in their mother tongue. For those who hold this attitude, it may be important that orthographic particularities not be lost, and that the language variety remain distinct from neighboring varieties. Our attitudes toward a language invariably influence how we relate to the language.

WHAT IS LANGUAGE IDEOLOGY?

In the words of Walt Wolfram and Natalie Schilling-Estes (2006), language ideologies are "ingrained, unquestioned beliefs about the way the world is, the way it should be, and the way it has to be with respect to language." An example of language ideology is the belief that some languages are more prestigeous, more capable of expression, or more beautiful than others, or that some ways of speaking are 'proper,' while others are not. Often times, speakers are not fully aware of the ideologies they submit to.

CONNECTING LANGUAGE & IDENTITY

For John Edwards (2009) the study of language and identity must focus more on "the symbolic and 'marking' functions of language" than on the "communicative ones." In other words, particular use of a language becomes a symbol or a marker of group belonging. Often times the deliberate use of particular forms of language or ways of speaking will point to larger social and political realities.

FOR MORE DETAIL SEE:

Crystal, David. 1992. An encyclopedic dictionary of language and languages. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell.

Wolfram, W. & Schilling-Estes, N. 2006. American English: Dialects and Variation, second edition. Malden, MA: Blackwell.

Edwards, John. 2009. Language and Identity: Key Topics in Sociolinguistics. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge.