INTRODUCTION

Welcome to my blog everybody!

My name is Brenda, I’m a modern languages student at Dawson. In my few semesters at the college, teachers gave us many opportunities to study and research subjects that really interest us. Every time I could, I chose to study indigenous cultures. A DNA test reveled to my family and I our indigenous ancestry from El Salvador and Peru. After some research, I found out that the reason my indigenous ancestry was kept hidden was because of the discrimination the people of darker complexion and speaking indigenous dialects suffers. For their descendants not to experience that, my ancestors stopped teaching the language and traditions of the communities they were from and married with Spaniards so their children or grand-children could blend in society. Keeping myself educated on indigenous matters and learning about their cultures is my way of remembering and honouring my ancestors.

PHASE 2

MY PROJECT

WHAT LANGUAGE HOLDS

Ultimately, I will do my research project on the itnerdependant relationship of language and culture.

Not what I had originally planed but directly linked to the preservation of languages, I decided to research that interrelastionship because I realized that in order to save a culture, we must keep its dialect alive. I will not concentrate my research to any region as I will discuss two broad concepts that affect all cultures and languages.

PHASE 3

THESIS STATEMENT

The death of a dialect means the eventual death of the culture that speaks it.

Because language is not only a communication tool, language holds history, social knowledge, value systems, beliefs, identity, among many other concepts that are defined as being part of culture.

“... language is at one and the same time the tool, the content and the form of human thought, and every act of knowledge is only possible through the medium of language.”

- Riley, Philip. Language, Culture and Identity : An Ethnolinguistic Perspective. p.9

THE CONQUISTA OF LANGUAGES

El Quechua y la historia social Andina

By Alfredo Torero

The Peruvian anthropologist and linguist Alfredo Torrero writes in his book about the institution of Castellano (Spanish) as the official language of the country. In the middle of the 17^th century the Criollos (Of Spanish descent born in Latin America) replaced the Spaniards population that immigrated to the lands. The Criollos feared a rebellion from the servants and slaves. They made a pact with the Spanish crown in case they would ever need help against the natives and mixed-race people. The crown agreed to help if they find a way to reduce the “Indian danger” and reimplant a hegemonic power in Peru. (144-145) That’s when in 1685 the crown and civil authorities insisted in the “education, use and spread” of Castellano. Near the year 1700, Spanish was widely spoken by most. (145) In 1770, Carlos III made reenforced the “castellanización” (Make non-native speakers Hispanic) of the country’s population. With the clear goal to extinguish all other language. (147) The language was spread through education, commerce, migrations and exploitation of the indigenous communities. (148) Because of the way Spanish was imposed to the indigenous communities, these population lost their cultural identity making the very significance of the word “Indian” an approximate description of someone showing physical native traits, speaks a native language, don’t fully master Spanish and doesn’t really fit the modern occidental cultural norms. (148-149)

Torero, Alfredo. "Historia social del quechua Lima." Anales Científicos de la Universidad Agraria, VIII, 3-4. Lima, 1970

MY THOUGHTS

To better understand the impacts of present day assimilation, it is necessary to go back to when it started and study the origins of the matter.

I’ve read so many books and chronicles about the Conquista of Peru and while it mentions drastic consequences of the Spanish conquest, language is not often mentioned. We clearly see in that chapter of the book that the institution of the Spanish language deeply affected the cultural identity of the indigenous communities. While the book mentions them fighting for their rights, once they lost their language, they also lost a part of themselves making them powerless to the now growing Hispanic nation. That made them vulnerable to cultural racism. To me this series of event is proof that language is much more than just a tool of communication, it also holds cultural identity and all the languges we speak are part of our individual identities.

*Quick reading recommendation for the curious minds and history lovers, An Inca Account of the Conquest of Peru by Titu Cusi Yupanqui is a letter addressed to Emperor Philip II, King of Spain written in 1570 by the oldest son of the last Inca emperor telling the story of the imprisonment and assassination of his father.*

HISTORY OF SELF

Language extinction, and what that means for culture

By Amy Hunt

The text starts by giving an example of how a language dies based on a story published by the New York Times of the last speaker of an Amazonian dialect knowing his language is going to die with him without being able to do anything about it. Later she explains how identity and cultural history are affect each other and are both important parts of language that gets lost when a language disappears. Because language holds a culture it also holds its history When history is lost, that link to the past is broken. Resulting to the loss of the sense of place, purpose and path. Affecting the sense of identity and belonging that can affect the mental health of a community. “A person’s mother tongue is the first means they have of communicating with their family and their peers about the world around them, their heritage and belief systems.”

Hunt, Amy. "Language extinction, and what that means for culture." CultureReady, March 7 2018.

MY THOUGHTS

While being a little bit around the place, the link of how one thing affects the other is clear. Belonging is a subject I’ve researched in the past and ancestry, history and social acceptance are key elements of what will shape that feeling that is crucial to our personal development and progress in the place we live. And if that information was conveyed through something that does not exist anymore (language) then that information is simply lost, after such events we really should expect an existential crisis. “Who am I and where do I belong?” are questions every body asks themselves and nobody can really answer but in society there are standards and norms we must all fit in and without the knowledge that language holds, it is impossible to fit a description because we are complex human beings and our identity comes from way more then just our personality type, skin colour or religion. When someone asks me where am I from, I do not only think of the place I was born. I think of my parents and their parents, of the many cultures they were from and how every addition shaped the family, the cities around the world they immigrated from and the places they finally decided to call home. I am lucky to know so much about my ancestry but not everybody has the resources to dig in their past. People that are from cultures that had oral traditions for centuries and do not acquire their native language will lose an enormous part of their identity that is shaped by the history of family and culture hold in language.

LANGUAGE SHIFT

Language extinction and linguistic fronts

By Neus Isern and Joaquim Fort

Based on this research published by Royal Society Publishing, a language’s death usually involves the shift from a language to a more advantageous language, either imposed or willingly acquired, and the disappearance of the language at the death of its last speaker. Language shift is the main subject of the research. It is described as when a parent voluntarily doesn’t teach his children his language when there are more suited languages one must learn at that time and place to succeed. Which is completely natural, people are always adapting which means that language is evolving with society as it is the main communication tool. But lately the speed of the natural process of languages disappearing, being created and evolving has increased due to globalization. The text talks about diverse studies on language shift that rationalizes the decision of not passing down one’s language to the next generation. Interesting enough, an indigenous language from Peru, Quechua, was mentioned as being officialised in Peru in the year 1975 but had no effect on the language shift of the indigenous communities shifting to Spanish. The whole study ended up proving with a bunch of factors modeled into mathematical expressions that it is the social status of languages that guides language shifts.

Isern, Neus, and Joaquim Fort. “Language Extinction and Linguistic Fronts.” Journal of the Royal Society, Interface, vol. 11, no. 94, Mar. 2014.

MY THOUGHTS

Globalization and I think modern technology are big factors in the extinction of languages. And it is explained here that it is a natural process. Even if we want to stop it at a certain point, languages dying is part of the cycle of life. And I do believe that most of the time it is for the better, as society we evolve and grow so should our most important communication tool. BUT at this high speed we might as well call it a genocide of languages. It is alarming that we do not have enough time to preserve the knowledge that all those languages hold. My first thought is “WE MUST WRITE EVRYTHING DOWN BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!” But how is that realistic? Language is way more than just codes and holds way more than just factual knowledge that can be compiled. In this research I see clear link between language shift and culture Identity. I picture it as a necessary sacrifice. I feel frustrated when I think of cultures not being passed down to the next generation as I consider it a heritage that we shouldn’t be deprived of as it is part of our identity. But it is impossible to resent that if such decision is made because the society they lived in deprived them of their needs and sabotaged their opportunities to a better future because of the langue they spoke, their culture or their physical features. Everywhere, the best thing that one can have to evolve in a society is the ability to blend in as much as possible. For many people, language shift is probably the first step to a better life.

IDENTITY & TECHNOLOGY

Globalization’s Impact on Cultural Identity Formation : Queer Diasporic Males in Cyberspace

By Ahmet Atay

Because of our advanced communication technology our life is more multi-dimensioned then before. Because of that, our lived experiences are composed of interlocking political, economic and cultural facets. We are not only influenced by the people and institutions around us but also those far away from our cultural location. Technology makes cultural borders disappear while stimulatingly helping the underprivileged create tactics to fight the dominant powers. The book studies cyber ethnography and the recreation of cultural identities through lived and mediated realities. (2) People connect to cyberspaces of different racial, ethnic, national, and cultural backgrounds in order to represent and discover different sides of themselves and discuss their reflections and problems with people of different perspectives. (128) The sides of the identity they need to share with a cyber community are often parts of them that are usually silenced or marginalized by their host-cultures and diasporic communities. (129)

Ahmet Atay. Globalization’s Impact on Cultural Identity Formation : Queer Diasporic Males in Cyberspace. Lexington Books, 2015.

MY THOUGHTS

To explore cultures and perspectives by immersing ourselves in cyberspaces of various backgrounds makes it easier to understand our own identity but it is also easy to get confused the same way the author explain he was. This book helps visualize the role of technology and globalization in identity. In how it shapes us as persons but also helps us being the best version of ourselves and accept our differences. When it comes to language, language holds identity and this is only one source that describes the effects of technology on culture, identity and communication. In this specific case it is positive because technology is a way of exposing parts of our identity that we might not feel comfortable sharing within our community. The key element I learned after reading the source was how helpful technology can be for communities that have been looked over, giving them a voice that everybody can access. Technology is a crucial tool in the preservation of languages, creating learning opportunities and promoting language preservation.

THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHY

Identidad Indígena en Tiempos de Globalización

By Angel Colunge

A short article in the peruvian magazine MemOria by the “Instituto de democracia y derechos humanos”, the institut of democracy and human rights, presents an exposition of photos picturing the daily life of indigenous communities and events related to indigenous rights and the prmotion of their cultures. The article is about the role of photography in the quest of reviving indigenous cultures and languages. It is a way to for indigenous communities to reconnect with their heritage and show that part of their identity to the world through images. It shows the world that minority communities are still alive and fighting. It is also a way to sensibilize the audience to the preservation of the territories and natural resources inside the country the whole population shares. That it should matter to everybody not only the people living directly on those lands.

Colunge, Angel. "Identidad Indígena en Tiempos de Globalización." MemOria, 21 Aug. 2018, idehpucp.pucp.edu.pe/revista-memoria/portafolio/identidad-indigena-en-tiempos-de-globalizacion/

MY THOUGHTS

Being a lover of photography, I truly believe that an image can show things words could not explain. Images can make us feel and understand things we would not acknowledge the same by only by reading a description as detailed as it might be. Because pictures are moments captured in images, different realities and perspectives that we immerse ourselves in. When I think of photography as a way to reach people and make them see what I want them to see, I think it’s genius. Pictures moves us more then words because we identify to the people we see. We picture ourselves as the main protagonist of the event or as the person behind the camera watching what’s in front of us. In this digital aera that allows us to live in different realities, photography and even videography are excellent ways of, in a way, forcing the viewer to engage in a perspective that is not his that might generate feeling and reactions, hopefully for the better.

QUICK UPDATE

This research has allowed me to understand the importance of languages. Because my research is so intimately linked to my own story, every source helps me understand my identity. I haven’t been posting weekly but I’ve been researching almost daily and writing about my thoughts. I just got carried away with my personal view of language evolving around my own identity crisis and the perspective that comes from that. I do not consider what I have at the moment polished enough for the blog as everything I’m writing about the subject has become deeply personal. My blog is not representative of how much I’ve learned at the moment. I will change that soon enough. Because it is of interest in my research, specifically when it comes to language and identity, I will be mentioning my own roots and ancestry and the consequences of language extinction or the loss of language/culture using myself and the Nawat/Pipil culture from EL Salvador as a case study. Looking at the consequences of an event reveals the importance and the real impact it has on something. The fact that the loss of a culture affects me, many generations after it’s already gone, is proof of its importance in Identity and mental development. I have a lot to say about that. Coming soon. The only thing that is mentioned in the outline that I haven’t done yet is to look and comment on other blogs. I am curious to see what my classmates are doing, wishing them the best of luck.

ENDANGERED LANGUAGES & LANGUAGE REVIVAL

Language Vitality and Endangerment

UNESCO Ad Hoc Expert Group on Endangered Languages

LANGUAGE REVIVAL

To participate in language revival or support endangered languages, the document suggests a list of ideas. Training language workers to analyse their own languages in order to produce pedagogical materials. To develop and integrate the education of ancestral languages and ethnolinguistic minorities in school programs. Teaching those languages. Be more engaged in the formulation of national language policies to ensure the integration of endangered languages int hose policies. Spread awareness on the living conditions of minority communities in order to help the government identify them and consider their needs for a better health care, community development, or language education

UNESCO Ad Hoc Expert Group on Endangered Languages. Language Vitality and Endangerment. the International Expert Meeting on UNESCO Programme Safeguarding of Endangered Languages, march 2003.

http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/CLT/pdf/Language_vitality_and_endangerment_EN.pdf

MY THOUGHTS

What I understand of language endangerment is that it is the decision of an individual of teaching his language to the next generations that will determine the survival of the language. If too many people decide to adopt a new language and stop teaching the native language then the language will eventually disappear. In my research I talk about the interdependence of culture and language. This document was very informative in terms of understanding the many steps in gradual language death and what can be done in order to prevent the extinction of languages. Interestingly, an important step mentioned in the document is to archive the language by creating pedagogical material in order that, if not soon, one day, there is the possibility of reviving the language. Because most indigenous languages were for so long based on oral tradition, if there is no writing system and archived material, the culture will disappear with its language. In what Campbell and Muntzel distinguished as a bottom-to-top language death I think of the Hebrew language that was able to be revived because of the archived information easily accessible in order to teach it and reintegrate it in our modern world. Even if it was not completely extinct, it sets the example on the amount of resources that were available after its death in order to one day relearn it and teach it. That is the goal.

VALUES & BELEIFS IN LANGUAGE

Indigenous Language Revitalization by April Charlo

April Charlo talks about our learning experiences and a language that describes them. She tells the story of her niece wanting to posses a bug calling it “my bug”, explaining that for her to mention the concept of ownership she had to tried it end someone else reinforce it before. And that day when she answered “oh, is that your bug?” she confirmed to her niece that she could indeed own a bug. And when April Charlo translated her own perspective of life in the indigenous language she was learning saying “Hand me my water.”, she discovered that it was impossible to use the word “my” with anything of the natural world. It was impossible to formulate that perspective of ownership over natural elements in that language because those beliefs did not exist in the culture of that language.

BOOK SOURCES

Riley, Philip. Language, Culture and Identity : An Ethnolinguistic Perspective. Continuum, 2007.

Sihler, Andrew L. Language History : An Introduction. John Benjamins Publishing Co,

2000.

Yule, George. The Study of Language. Seventh edition., Cambridge University Press,

2020.

Nagel, Joane. Constructing Ethnicity: Creating and Recreating Ethnic Identity and Culture. Oxford University Press, February 1994.