In reflection one I talked to my discovery as to why I should care and take the topic of linguistic language more seriously after not growing up with any awareness of it. Therefore, through my journey of learning this month I believe my understanding is beginning to become more in depth. I set a goal for myself to take away something that I can work towards in the future, discover something that will be a part of my classroom dynamic and I think i’ve accomplished that.
The topic this month that stood out to me the most is Indigenous language and how a major step to teaching it needs to be first understanding it. My interest in this topic began with something Andrea said in lecture, “Indigenous languages disrupt the English/French narrative of Canada” this to me felt empowering. I wanted to learn about ways that it no longer has to be this ‘foreign object’ in todays society. So, I kicked off my learning of Indigenous languages in Canada with the following video.
I think this video is not only useful tool for teachers but for students as well, and it is something I intend to show my classes because it gives them resources to take their learning into their own hands and expand their knowledge outside the walls of the classroom.
I second thing that stood out to me was the podcast by Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo. In this they are discussing the importance of tone of voice in different languages and how it can completely change the meaning of a word. I found this fascinating as its never been something i’ve ever thought about before. The podcast hosts supplied two different examples that helped the concept click in my brain, one in English and the other in an Indigenous language called Olap Zapotec.
For the English example they used the phrase “get out” because it can come off in two very different ways depending on how you vocalize it. For example, if you use a sarcastic/ “creeky” voice it sounds like you do not believe what they are saying but if you use an excited/ “breathy” it comes off as you are in disbelief of the thing you are being told but still think it is true. This is where I began to understand why I am always told the English language is so hard to learn because our words and phrases have completely different means properly based on where you emphasize the word which may be a difficult concept to grasp for someone new to it. In the Olap Zapotec language example the used a word that translates to horse when you use a “breathy” voice but when it is pronounced with a “creeky” voice it comes out as buttocks.
This why I found it interesting because right now in the world of education we have been working on implementing Indigenous languages in schools and discussing how to do so appropriately. However, knowing now that such minor variations in linguistic expression can lead to words being lost in translation, brings me to something that as a future educator I feel extremely passionate about. In my Indigenous Studies class we talked about the utilization of Elders for these situations, that there is nothing more powerful than hearing and learning the language from a traditional speaker. Not only would it allow students at such a young academic age to learn from their raw and rich knowledge but it would insure they were being taught the correct things so that we as a society can continue to carry on Indigenous language use both in and out of classrooms.
After completing the readings, listening to the podcast and watching the videos, I found myself in need of a question or quote to drive me to deepen my understanding. In the recorded lecture with Russ Fayant he talked about “Michif Language Reclamation” and how it may be one of the best ways to achieve Reconciliation. This video is something that got through to me for many reasons. The first being his words “when you speak Michif, you are speaking from the context of two world views”, at this time I had to pause the video because the power of that sentence needed time for me to comprehend. I found this image to help visualize my thinking and his words.
It shows everything that goes into the Michif language it is self and how it is a blend of both European/French and Cree factors. It something that I did not know was a thing, after learning about the history of Indigenous peoples and the Europeans I always saw them to be very divided, but this language is an example of how beautiful things can be when brought together.
However, my greatest take away from this topic is Ross Fayant’s words, “you don’t really understand a culture until you understand that language” and that is what is going to lead me into learning more.