ELL: Web site

[Matthew McDaniel]

An interesting web site for lanuages.

Matthew



http://www.nativelanguages.org/

This site is for members and friends of endangered language communities,

with an emphasis on Native American languages. Please send suggestions
to
the editor at editor at nativelanguages.org.

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"The importance of stabilizing endangered languages is analogous to
preserving the biodiversity of plant and animal species which supply
medicines, foods, and the sustainability of ecologies." - Turtle Island
Native Network

Includes links to the following

Methods for revitalizing languages
Native Languages Revitalization Resource Directory from IPOLA

Teaching Indigenous Languages focuses on "the linguistic, educational,
social, and political issues related to the survival of the endangered
indigenous languages of the world." The article " Some Basics of
Indigenous
Language Revitalization" is a good introduction. See also "Maintaining
and
Renewing Native Languages."

Turtle Island Native Network Spotlight on Language - news articles on
native
languages.

Issues in U.S. Language Policy: Endangered Languages

Native American language renewal resource guide from Tribal College
Journal

The International Clearing House for Endangered Languages contains
United
Nations Redbook on Endangered Languages

Aboriginal Language Planning: A Guide for Community Activists. Focuses
on
Canada and BC, but has much information relevant to all endangered
languages." For many years, parents and educators were told that
education
in an Aboriginal language would be detrimental to children's social and
intellectual development, and that it would 'hold them back.' As
linguists
and specialists in bilingual or multilingual education now know, the
opposite is the case."

Bibliography of Materials on Language Maintenance from the Carrier
Sekani
Tribal Council

The Native American Languages Act of 1990 declares it a federal policy
to
"preserve, protect, and promote the rights and freedom of Native
Americans
to use, practice, and develop Native American languages", and provides
about
$2 million per year in funding.

Online Books
The following links to the complete text of the books:

Stabilizing Indigenous Languages includes descriptions of successful
native
language programs and papers by leaders in the field of indigenous
language
study."

Revitalizing Indigenous Languages discusses "opportunities and obstacles

faced by language revitalization efforts, programs and models for
promoting
indigenous languages, the role of writing in indigenous language
renewal,
and how new technology is being used to compile indigenous language
dictionaries, publish indigenous language materials, and link together
dispersed language communities."

Teaching Indigenous Languages presents "experiences and thoughts of
indigenous language activists who are working in the United States,
Canada,
New Zealand, and Mexico."

Effective Language Education Practices & Native Language Survival
"contains
descriptions of promising Native language programs going on today in New

Zealand, Canada, the United States."

Financial Assistance
 The Indigenous Language Institute "collaborates with indigenous
communities
to revitalize and perpetuate the languages and culture of the original
inhabitants of the Americas."

The Foundation for Endangered Languages "awards grants to projects that
support the use of endangered languages in all contexts."

Endangered Language Fund "supports with small grants efforts by Native
communities or scholars to do endangered language related work".


List of funding sources from IPOLA


Other organizations
Intertribal Wordpath Society - promoting Oklahoma Indian languages.

Terralingua works to preserve the future of the world's biological,
cultural, and linguistic diversity.

Discussion groups
Endangered-Languages-L Forum "provides a world-wide communications
vehicle
and a central electronic archive for anyone working on or interested in
the
study and documentation of endangered languages." Includes archives.

Information on the Languages
Native American Language Resources has pointers to many useful resources
on
the languages themselves.

Living Languages of the Americas: United states and Canada from the
Summer
Institute of Linguistics reports estimated number of speakers.

Index of Native American Language Resources on the Internet from WWW
Virtual
Library - American Indians

Buffalo Trails has teaching materials for individual languages.



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