Pedro's Musings
Genevieve Patthey-Chavez (ggpcinla who-is-at ucla.edu)
Mon, 23 Sep 1996 09:32:00 -0800
There's more to the story of indigenous language loss in the USA than the
emergence of the MTV generation. From the late 19th century to at least
the 1950s (apparently later in Canada), indigenous children were taken from
their families and put into "tribal schools" where they were to be turned
into productive citizens. In practice, this meant a "modern" dress code
and very harshly enforced rules against the speaking of indigenous
languages, this at a time of critical language development (childhood,
adolescence). The language policy clearly disrupted intergenerational
continuity, as I believe it was meant to. In other words, I see a very
active, purposeful suppression, nothing that "couldn't be helped," such as
the incursion of mass media. I don't know the particulars of Navajo
history that prevented earlier massive language loss, but in the case of
many native peoples in the USA, English is now the main language.
>From Mexican and US experiences so far, it appears very difficult indeed to
reverse the trend and create a situation in which some kind of stable
diglossic situation establishes itself. I do believe, however, that a
stable diglossic situation, with the different languages distributed in
such a way that each performs vital communicative or social functions that
the other cannot supplant, is the the most viable alternative. There are
places in the world where such a stable situation exists, Paraguay, for
example.
genevieve