The Language & Identity Journey

What is the Language & Identity Journey?

The Language & Identity Journey is an approach to community based language and identity development (CBLID) for language communities who are desiring to develop one of their languages in new ways, or who are concerned about a language that is undergoing shift. It is based on a comprehensive model of language development known as the SUM (See History & Development). Leaders in the language community and specialists who are trained in The Journey are the key participants. The specialists walk alongside the community throughout The Journey's four phases. The first three phases, 1) Awareness, 2) Assessment, and 3) Planning are explored during three weekend long workshops or conversations. Leaders and specialists continue to interact for an extended period during the final phase: 4) Implementation. A suite of tools are provided to support leaders and specialists during each of these four phases.

A Consultative Experience

The Language & Identity Journey differs from previous community based language and identity development (CBLID) tools in that it is intended to provide language communities with a consultative experience vs. a step-by step 'how to' manual. By consultative experience we mean an experience in language development that is accompanied by a specialist who walks with the community in their development journey. How-to approaches, while providing an instruction manual, lack the consultant assistance that is often needed when things get complicated. Our promise to each community is that it will not be alone in its journey - a trained consultant will walk with them. The relationship that is established between community leaders and the specialist is this program's greatest strength.

Community Focus vs. Language Focus

The Language & Identity Journey is focused on the community and not on a specific language. This translates into an approach that begins with understanding the relationships that already exist between different sub-groups within the community, and their relationship with groups outside of their community.  The languages used in each of these relationships then come into focus, enabling the entire linguistic repertoire (set of languages) of the community to be addressed. The community can choose to develop any language in its repertoire, or none at all. 

This community focus leads to one of the core values of the Journey - community ownership. See the "Core Values" page under "The Journey" tab for more about this foundational principle.

Who should take the Journey?

Communities who are interested in addressing the challenges below are ideal candidates for the Journey:

• • Communities who speak a strong mother tongue, but would like to see it used in new ways, such as in literacy, or general education, or broadcast on media (radio, TV, or internet), or in technology (texting, social media, software) or in religious worship/translation of sacred texts. 

  • Communities where the language is in widespread use, yet some children are beginning to shift to using a majority language. The community would like to halt this shift and attempt some strategies to regain the use of their traditional language in all the homes.

  • Communities where the traditional language is weakening and fewer and fewer people are speaking it, yet members would like to see their language regain a few functions that have been lost such as its use in cultural celebrations, greetings, or the arts (music, drama, poetry, etc), ensuring that the language survives for several more generations. 

  • Communities where no one uses the traditional language anymore for communication, but they would like to see their ethnic identity survive the loss of their language by promoting a symbolic use of the language as a link to their past, alongside a stronger national or regional identity. 

  • Communities where the youth would like to develop a hybrid identity that is a combination of their traditional one with a national/regional one that surrounds them. Linking bits of traditional language with new modes of art or expression is one way to do that.

  • Communities that want to see their traditional language documented in some way.

  • Communities who would like to start an MLE program in the L1 to segway their youth into education in the national language.

  • Communities that would like to help advocate for their children to have better access to learning an L2 in order to succeed in their interactions with the outside world.

The Language and Identity Journey can help communities address all of these concerns.