ERIC Number: EJ1111490
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1747-7506
EISSN: N/A
Towards Reconciliation through Language Planning for Indigenous Languages in Canadian Universities
Sterzuk, Andrea; Fayant, Russell
Current Issues in Language Planning, v17 n3-4 p332-350 2016
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) began in June, 2008 as a response to the Indian Residential School legacy. The commission concluded with a 2015 report which includes 94 calls to action. Some of these calls pertain to higher education including the following example "We call upon post-secondary institutions to create university and college degree and diploma programs in Aboriginal languages" [TRC, 2015. "Truth and reconciliation commission of Canada: Calls to action" (p. 2). Retrieved October 15, 2015, from http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitution/File/2015/Findings/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf]. These calls to action exist within a broader global context of Indigenous language revitalization policy. What these policies have in common is the declaration of the value of Indigenous languages as well as recommendations for Indigenous language revitalization. This paper responds to these policies through an examination of Indigenous language planning in higher education. We situate this language planning within a broader project of reconciliation between Indigenous and settler peoples in Canada. We consider English dominance in higher education, Indigenous languages in university classrooms and the history of Michif, an Indigenous language spoken by Métis peoples. We describe an initiative which introduces Michif into credit courses in a teacher education programme. This paper's discussion of the planning of this programme reveals possibilities for greater institutional inclusion of Indigenous languages in higher education.
Descriptors: Language Planning, Language Maintenance, Higher Education, American Indians, American Indian Languages, Educational Attainment, Indigenous Populations, Foreign Countries, Public Policy, College Credits, Language of Instruction, Teacher Education Programs, English, Program Development, Native Language Instruction
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A