ELL: RE: Language Shift and Gender

[Coelho]

It would also be interesting to compare this to gender-based patterns of
shift and traditional language communication in other parts of the world.
In India, you get families where men tend to know English better than
women; they use the native language with women more than with men. I assume
that this fairly typical in most of the Old World -- so I'm curious about
why there's a different pattern in the New World.

Gail

At 12:59 PM 11/8/01 +1300, Toni Waho wrote:
>All the best in this study.  In Maori society I believe we can measure the
>proficiency levels of Maori who learned to speak the Maori language based on
>gender roles within our traditional society.  It has not been done as a
>specific study but I believe the strength of my male peers (we learned to
>speak Maori as young adults) is commensurate with the roles we play as men,
>juxtaposed with my female peers whose language could be regarded as not as
>proficient because the traditional role of women has been undermined by
>colonisation.  There has been a notable turn around in recent years because
>women have been at the forefront of the Maori language revitalisation
>movement and have increased in number as teachers in Kohanga Reo (early
>childhood) and Kura Kaupapa Maori (schools).  I will be very interested in
>any publications on your study.  Toni Waho.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: owner-endangered-languages-l at cleo.murdoch.edu.au
>[mailto:owner-endangered-languages-l at cleo.murdoch.edu.au]On Behalf Of
>Patrick E. Marlow
>Sent: Thursday, 8 November 2001 08:12
>To: endangered-languages-l at cleo.murdoch.edu.au
>Subject: ELL: Language Shift and Gender
>
>Dear Colleagues:
>
>I am working on a research project into the interaction between traditional
>gender-based communication patterns and language shift. I have had
>difficulty locating references through the usual databases/channels and I
>was wondering if anyone was aware of work in this area.
>
>Specifically, there may be evidence here in some Alaskan Athabascan
>communities, that as language shift occurs, it may overlay traditional
>male-female communication patterns such that men are more likely to
>continue using the language with other men and speak English with women who
>are themselves Native speakers, and vice versa.
>
>This research is only in its initial stages, and among other things, we
>still have to investigate traditional Athabascan male-female patterns of
>interaction (something else that doesn't appear to be in the literature).
>
>Later this winter we will begin interviewing a few key Elders, with the
>point being to begin to define/understand traditional gender-based
>interaction patterns and to try and correlate those patterns with modern
>language usage. In short, to try and understand the gender-based patterns
>that language shift may be overlaying.
>
>  From there we expect to move into schools and see how traditional patterns
>of interaction are being undermined/reinforced/??? in the school.
>
>  From there we hope to figure out how to work with existing patterns
>(rather than against them) in order to improve language teaching
>specifically and education in general.
>
>Any help/references people can provide would be greatly appreciated.
>
>Sincerely,
>************************************************************************
>Patrick E. Marlow
>Assistant Professor
>Alaska Native Language Center
>University of Alaska Fairbanks
>PO Box 757680
>Fairbanks, AK 99775-7680
>(907) 474-7446
>ffpem at uaf.edu
>************************************************************************
>
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