ERIC Number: EJ1247712
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1747-7506
EISSN: N/A
Making Linguistic Choices at a Sámi University: Negotiating Visions and Demands
Thingnes, Jorunn Simonsen
Current Issues in Language Planning, v21 n2 p153-174 2020
Sámi University of Applied Sciences (SUAS) in Norway is one of few institutions of higher education worldwide that mainly operates in an Indigenous language. According to the institution's vision, Indigenous peoples' values stand at the centre, and the Sámi language is heard and read daily. However, as an academic institution operating nationally and internationally, SUAS faces numerous expectations and demands that challenge its vision and language policy. This paper investigates how linguistic choices made for publications reflect SUAS' vision and the academic communities the institution is a part of. Drawing on policy documents, observation and interviews with staff and students, the paper shows how linguistic choices are influenced by discourses that circulate in different academic communities: local, national, international and Indigenous. It further shows how the language practices are shaped by and occur in the intersection of agency and structure. For the Sámi language to persist and develop, staff must publish in Sámi. Yet, there is a demand -- and partly a wish -- to also publish in English and Norwegian. The strategy for SUAS' staff is to maintain a diverse language practice. Additionally, this study indicates that Norwegian national language policies do provide some supportive structures for revitalisation of Sámi.
Descriptors: Language Usage, Indigenous Populations, Native Language, Languages, Language Minorities, Universities, Indigenous Knowledge, Language Planning, Educational Policy, Student Attitudes, College Faculty, College Students, Teacher Attitudes, Personal Autonomy, Language Maintenance, Writing for Publication, Norwegian, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Faculty Publishing, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Norway
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A