"Losing our Inuttitut": The intersection of language shift and language attitudes in Nain, Nunatsiavut

Détails

ID Serval
serval:BIB_66F208CE08CD
Type
Partie de livre
Sous-type
Chapitre: chapitre ou section
Collection
Publications
Institution
Titre
"Losing our Inuttitut": The intersection of language shift and language attitudes in Nain, Nunatsiavut
Titre du livre
Rural voices: Language, identity, and social change across place
Auteur⸱e⸱s
Thorburn Jennifer
Editeur
Lexington Books
Lieu d'édition
Lanham, Maryland
ISBN
978-1-4985-6071-9
Statut éditorial
Publié
Date de publication
2018
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Editeur⸱rice scientifique
Seale Elizabeth, Mallinson Christine
Pages
23-43
Langue
anglais
Résumé
This chapter examines the relationship between language shift and language attitudes, with the Canadian Inuit community of Nain, Nunatsiavut, serving as a case study. This remote town is currently undergoing the later stages of language shift: the indigenous language, Inuktitut (or Inuttitut, as the Labrador varieties are known), is being replaced by English as the primary means of communication and socialisation within the community. In Nain, this shift began within living memory, starting in the 1950s, and dividing the community along linguistic lines: elders are largely monolingual speakers of Inuttitut, and younger residents speak predominantly English, with minimal knowledge of their ancestral language. Residents demonstrate strong metalinguistic awareness in interviews, frequently discussing how the two languages – Inuttitut and English – are regarded and used in Nain, and how the shift to English has impacted not only linguistic practices in the community but also residents' sense of culture and identity. Particular focus is placed on how the provincial government's institution of English as the language of education in the 1950s and the subsequent evolution of the educational system have impacted perceptions and use of both community languages, as provincially mandated schooling is the factor most commonly mentioned by residents when discussing the loss of Inuttitut in Nunatsiavut.
Mots-clé
sociolinguistics, sociolinguistique, linguistics, linguistique, Inuit, Canada, Inuktitut, attitudes, rural, anglais, English
Création de la notice
02/09/2018 11:03
Dernière modification de la notice
20/08/2019 15:22
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