Diné Bizaad: Language Attitudes and Ideologies of the Diné
Presenter(s)
Alyssa Nez
Affiliation
Purdue University
Day
12th Sep.
Time
16:20-16:50
Room
Room6
Topic
Linguistic Attitudes and Ideology
Type
Papers
Abstract
This abstract is in accordance with Diné philosophy: the four cardinal directions serve as the guide for our life cycle.
Ha’a’aah (East): Nitsáhákees (Critical Thinking). After traumatic language loss post-European contact, some Indigenous tribes started language revitalization efforts in the form of immersion schools or cultural/language courses in their curriculum. But what have we learned thus far? A dichotomy among generations arises – forced assimilation taught one to abandon the language and another to embrace it. Does the Diné Nation share the first sentiment or the latter? Or both?
Shádi’ááh (South): Nahat’á (Planning). The goal is to identify and understand language attitudes and ideologies among the Diné. Depending on personal and generational factors, attitudes toward the language vary. This work addresses the following questions– Why does someone “decide” not to use Diné Bizaad with their children? How do their children feel about not being taught Diné Bizaad? What do members of the Diné community feel, overtly or covertly, about the ongoing revitalization efforts? Can Diné culture truly exist without the language? Are we so entrenched in Western ideologies that we no longer remember the Diné way of thought and philosophy?
E’e’aah (West): Iiná (Implementation of Plans). We use autoethnography, from an Indigenous perspective, as well as Participatory Action Research to focus on a reciprocal relationship between the researcher and the community. While Diné, I still need to follow a complex and respectful culturally-guided process, yeel, when acquiring data. Methodology includes conducting interviews across generations on Diné Bikeyah.
North: Siih Hasin (Assessment and Reflection). Initial results indicate that: (a) previous traumatic experiences guide decisions on language; (b) gender may be a factor; (c) young adults may currently be questioning parental decisions on language; (d) pedagogical approaches in schools need to be reconstructed to achieve optimal results expected by the Diné community.
Diné Bizaad - Navajo Language
Diné - Navajo
