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Hi all,<br>
<br>
Excuse the press release hype below, but I <i>am </i>excited about
announcing the release of Mohawk language-learning software! 'Thought
you'd want to know. It will be available from Kanien'kehaka
Onkwawén:na Raotitiohkwa in Kahnawake.<br>
<br>
~ i<br>
<br>
NEWS RELEASE<br>
<br>
For More Information:<br>
Grete Krohn Dr. Donna Kaherakwas
Goodleaf<br>
Carmichael Lynch Spong Kanien'kehaka Onkwawén:na
Raotitiohkwa<br>
(612) 375-8535 (450) 638-0880<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:gkrohn@clynch.com">gkrohn@clynch.com</a> <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:dgoodleaf@yahoo.ca">dgoodleaf@yahoo.ca</a><br>
<br>
Denise Dixon<br>
Carmichael Lynch Spong<br>
(612) 375-8523<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:ddixon@clynch.com">ddixon@clynch.com</a><br>
<br>
<br>
<b>Rosetta Stone® Releases Interactive Mohawk Language Software</b><br>
<br>
<b>A Mohawk Community and Rosetta Stone Have Developed First-Ever
Mohawk Immersion Software Through Rosetta Stone’s Endangered Language
Program </b><br>
<br>
HARRISONBURG, Va. (April 20, 2006) – Rosetta Stone® has just released
language-learning software for the Mohawk (Kanien’keha) language.
Development of the software was sponsored by Kanien'kehaka Onkwawén:na
Raotitiohkwa (the recognized Mohawk language and cultural center of
Kahnawake) as part of a wider initiative to recover Kanien’keha fluency
in the Mohawk community located near Montréal, Québec. This is the
first endangered language software to be developed through Rosetta
Stone, which currently teaches 30 other languages to people in over 150
countries. Kanien’keha is the language spoken by the Kanien’kehaka
(People of the Flint) nation. It is one of many Indigenous languages
throughout the world that are in danger of becoming extinct. Five
hundred years ago, an estimated 300 languages were spoken across North
America. Today, however, only about 25 are now spoken by children, an
indication that 150 languages are poised to disappear with their
generation of speakers.<br>
“We believe the best way to preserve a language is through teaching
and learning, keeping it a living language in the hands of the people
to whom it belongs,” says Ilse Ackerman, manager of the Endangered
Language Program at Rosetta Stone. “Technology can help with this task.
Interactive language software is a great resource to support community
language initiatives. It provides learners unlimited exposure to fluent
speech, patient and tireless feedback, and an individually tailored
learning pace.” <br>
<br>
<b>A Language Nearly Lost <br>
</b>Between 1892 and 1969, thousands of Aboriginal children in Canada,
including many Kanien’kehaka children, were not allowed to speak their
native language. As part of Canada’s government policies, Aboriginal
children were forced to attend residential schools where only English
was allowed. The schools ranged from small day schools on and off
reservations, to larger industrial and boarding schools in distant
towns and cities. Many children attended the schools for a short time,
while others were enrolled for their entire schooling, according to the
Aboriginal Healing Foundation.<br>
The residential schooling program had an adverse impact on the
Indigenous peoples who wished to retain their native language and
culture, according to Dr. Kaherakwas Donna Goodleaf, executive director
of Kanien'kehaka Onkwawén:na Raotitiohkwa. “Language is in our DNA. It
is who we are. As a way to revitalize the Kanien’keha language,
immersion schools were established in our community in the 1970s to
help our children learn their language,” says Goodleaf. “Presently,
these children have grown up and are young parents themselves, and are
eager to learn their language so that they may pass it on to their
children as well. In response to the needs and demands of the
community, Kanien'kehaka Onkwawén:na Raotitiohkwa offers various
Kanien’keha language courses and produces two television shows that are
aired in the Kanien’keha language on Kahnawake’s local cable television
network. As well, the cultural center offers a nine-month intensive
adult Kanien’keha language immersion program called the Kanien’keha
Ratiwennahní:rats Adult Immersion Program. This program has
successfully graduated over 50 students since 2004.” Kanien'kehaka
Onkwawén:na Raotitiohkwa has recently created a computer lab facility
to host the Rosetta Stone language-learning software program for the
community.<br>
Currently about 10 percent of the 8,000 residents in the community
of Kahnawake are fluent in the Mohawk language. Kanien'kehaka
Onkwawén:na Raotitiohkwa is working to expand this number through its
comprehensive community-wide language-learning initiative. As part of
the initiative, Rosetta Stone software will be made available in
computer labs, homes and workplaces to supplement a variety of other
elements that are already in place including adult language enrichment
classes, language immersion “nests” for preschool-age children and a
cable access program for family members of all ages. The Mohawk
language program will also be available for purchase through
Kanien'kehaka Onkwawén:na Raotitiohkwa. For more information, e-mail
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:kor@korkahnawake.org">kor@korkahnawake.org</a> or call (450) 638-0880.<br>
<br>
<b>Rosetta Stone: A Natural Choice <br>
</b>Rosetta Stone is a natural choice for many language revitalization
programs because it helps users develop everyday proficiency naturally,
the same way people learn their first language—by associating new words
with real-life meaning. Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion™ method uses
thousands of real-life color images to convey the meaning of the spoken
and written phrases in the program. Its carefully sequenced structure,
use of native speakers and ability to provide instantaneous feedback
teaches new language without memorization, translation or grammar
drills. In the program, Kanien’keha words are never equated to English
words, ensuring that words don’t lose the many aspects of their meaning
in the teaching process.<br>
To create the Kanien’keha software, a team of Rosetta Stone
language software experts worked with Kahnawake community leaders and
language experts. The local experts provided linguistic expertise and
Rosetta Stone software developers provided technical expertise.
Recording and photography were done in cooperation with Kanien'kehaka
Onkwawén:na Raotitiohkwa. Community members provided the voices in the
software, enabling language learners to hear the sounds of their
language spoken by people they know. Photographs of familiar places and
faces from the Kahnawake Mohawk community were incorporated into the
language lessons to make the content as culturally relevant as possible
to daily life.<br>
The Kanien’keha language software was produced through Rosetta
Stone’s Endangered Language Program, which was created to undertake a
limited number of language revitalization projects at the request of
sponsoring groups such as First Nations, corporations or schools. The
software, produced by Rosetta Stone, is distributed exclusively by the
sponsoring group; in this case, the Kahnawake Mohawk community near
Montreal. <br>
“We’re thrilled to be releasing the first software of the
Endangered Language Program. It has been a privilege to work with
Kahnawake, a community known for both its strong cultural identity and
its forward thinking,” says Ackerman. “We’re now excited about seeing
the software put to use in the community’s education initiatives.”<br>
<br>
<b>About Rosetta Stone <br>
</b> Rosetta Stone is a revolutionary CD-ROM and online
language-learning program acclaimed for the speed, power and
effectiveness of its Dynamic Immersion™ method. Teaching 30 languages
to millions of people in over 150 countries throughout the world,
Rosetta Stone is the key to language-learning success. The company was
founded in 1992 on two core beliefs: that the natural way people learn
languages as children remains the most successful method for learning
new languages; and that interactive technology can replicate and
activate that immersion method powerfully for learners of any age. The
company is based in Harrisonburg, Va. For more information, visit
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.RosettaStone.com">www.RosettaStone.com</a>.<br>
<br>
Rosetta Stone and Dynamic Immersion are trademarks of Rosetta Stone.<br>
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