Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.0MB) | Embed
Credit: www.ashmann.net
The Yiddish scholar Max Weinreich once wrote “a language is a dialect with an army and navy.” The exact definition of a dialect is often debated, but generally it is viewed as a variation within a language defined by geographical region. According to the UNESCO Atlas of World’s Languages in Danger, 43 percent of the world’s languages are endangered and 191 languages are estimated to be endangered in the United States. There are many different dialects in Native American languages. With some languages in danger of disappearing, where do dialects fit into language revival efforts? Should language teachers include different dialects of one language into the classroom?
Guests:
Dr. Margaret Noodin (Anishinaabe) – director Electa Quinney Institute for American Indian Education
George Coser (Muscogee Creek) – teacher and cultural consultant
Rose Ann Abrahamson (Lemhi Shoshone and Bannock) – culture and language consultant for the forthcoming HBO miniseries on Lewis and Clark
Break Music: Sneak Up (song) Blackfoot Confederacy (artist) Confederacy Style (album)
