UA summer institutes preserve native languages (fwd)

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UA summer institutes preserve native languages

Wild Briefs
Issue date: 6/7/06

Coushatta, Blackfeet and Southern Ute are just some of the indigenous
languages that will be represented by students this summer at the UA's
American Indian Language Development Institute, according to a press
release.

Each year, the UA Department of Language, Reading and Culture in the
College of Education holds the institute for language teachers who are
seeking innovative ways to preserve native languages, according to the
AILDI Web site.

About 60 people from the U.S. and Canada are participating in the
institute this summer, although in previous years the session has
attracted students from all over the world, said Ofelia Zepeda, AILDI
program director.

This year, 20 students were awarded fellowships from the National
Science Foundation to study grant writing and their own language
documentation, Zepeda said.

The program aims to provide language educators skills, background,
training and research through specially designed university courses in
all areas of language work, Zepeda added.

"Often times it's a sharing of backgrounds, and sharing of work," she
said.

http://wildcat.arizona.edu/media/storage/paper997/news/2006/06/07/Extra/Wild-Briefs-2025749.shtml?norewrite200606140116&sourcedomain=wildcat.arizona.edu