Whose ideology, where and when ?

Rama (Nicaragua) and

Francoprovençal (France) experiences

C. Grinevald - M. BertDynamique du Langage

Université Lyon 2

HRELP

ELAP Workshop: Beliefs and Ideology

LONDON - Friday 27 - Saturday 28 February 2009

Introduction

We are not experts, just linguists…

- with parallel experiences : Latin America / France over 20 years

- concerned, as faculty, with training and supervising junior field linguists of EL

… proposing a “road map” for establishing

“ideological clarity”, considering:

1. The who and where of ideological complexity

2. The synergies and conflicts of the Rama Language Project

3. The synergies and conflicts of the Francoprovençal situation

1. The who and where of ideological complexity

Spheres of EL ideologies

a. Academia

Field linguist

d. International - Worldwide

b. LocalEndangeredLanguage

c. Regional

c. National

1. The who and where of ideological complexity

a. Academic sphere

Foundations for EL DEL 2006 HRELP 2002

VW 1998 FEL and ELF

Linguists organizationsGermany - GBS 1997USA - LSA 1992Australia - ALS 1984

Individual linguists Description Documentation Archiving + Revitalization Fieldwork ON / FOR / WITH / …BY Desk / field ; theory / description

Academia

Field linguist

1. The who and where of ideological complexity

b. Local

Linguistic communities ▪ activists ? local organizations ?

▪ conscious or not, politicized ?

▪ unified / atomized ; real / virtual

Variety of speakers ▪ attitudes of speakers

▪ "good" speakers, "last" speakers,

"semi- speakers“…

LocalEndangered

Language

1. The who and where of ideological complexity

c. National and Regional

● National Constitution

Laws

Educational system

● NGO

● (Indigenous) organizations

● Missionaries

● Autonomy laws

Educational system

● Regional government

● (Indigenous) organizations

National

Regional

1. The who and where of ideological complexity

d. international - worldwide

FOUNDATIONS

for EL

NGO – Media

Biodiversity WWF – World Wildlife Foundation

Climate IPCC – Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Indigenous rights Survival International

United NationsIndigenous rights

UNESCO 2003 Intangible Heritage

2008 International Year of Languages

2009 New edition of the Atlas of EL

UNICEFLocal educational programs

International - Worldwide

Synergies and conflicts

Energies toward EL

++ very positive

+ positive

0 no particular energy, indifference

- negative

- - very negative

Synergies and conflicts:

Ebb and flow over the last 20+ years

Rama (1984 – 2009)

Francoprovençal (1990 – 2009)

Indigenous Languages of Nicaragua

Chibchan

Costa Rica

Misumalpan

Arawakan

2. Synergies and conflicts of Rama project

a. The Rama situation

Nicaragua language hierarchy: Spanish (official)

English Creole / Kriol

Miskito

Sumu

Mayangna - Ulwa

Rama

Rama Cay Creole

Rama speakers (1986) 31-58 of 900 population

2. Synergies and conflicts of Rama project

b. Political origins (1984)

Field linguist ++

NGO: CHRLA

LFN - Linguists For Nicaragua ++

++ ’80 Eugene Council For Human Rights in LA (Chili, Nicaragua…)

++ ’79 Sandinista Revolution Ministery of Culture

Contrawar →

++ ’87 Autonomy of Atlantic Coast

Linguistic Rights →

++ Demands of Rama leaders for revitalization of RamaCHRLA

LFN

International - Worldwide

Academia National

Regional

LocalEL

2. Synergies and conflicts of Rama project

c. Description and revitalization (1985- 1993)

Field linguist

$ NSF – NEH – WG for ‘Science’ ++$ LFN for revitalization ++

++ CHRLA, others

++ CIDCA

Centro de Investigación y Document.

de la Costa Atlántica

Rama contradiction (island vs. mainland)

++ Miss Nora - - no ‘tiger language’ from ‘tiger people’ !

1992 ‘Endangered Languages’ ++ LSA, XV° ICL at Quebec

Academia National

Regional

LocalEL

International - Worldwide

2. Synergies and conflicts of Rama project

c. Documentation - Archiving + Revitalization (1994-2009)

Field linguist

$ Univ Tromso - Univ URACCAN for revitalization ++

$ HRELDP 2004 - … for dictionary and archiving ++

++ Biospheric reserve of S.E Nicaragua 1999 (UNESCO)

- - Threats to Rama Territory- “dry canal” ( // Panama) ?- inland invasion - Islands sold for tourism

++ Gobierno Territorial Rama Kriol (GTRK): defence of territory

++ Demarcation of Rama territory by GTRK → more demands for revitalization of Rama

Academia National

Regional

LocalEL

International - Worldwide

3. Synergies and conflicts in Francoprovençal situation

a. The Francoprovençal situation

French language hierarchy : - French (official)

- Occitan, Breton, Alsacian…

(recognized, taught)

- Francoprovençal

Not recognized, cannot be taught,

spoken in 3 countries

(France, Switzerland, Italy)

Speakers:

~ 50 000 in France

All + than 60 yr.o

Name of language

unknown

3. Synergies and conflicts in Francoprovençal situation

b. Description (1990-…)

Description: ON 0 (≠ other France languages,

as Occitan, Breton, Alsacian…)

1992 European Charter:- France abstains

0 no action from the Regional Government

0 speakers indifferent+ semi-speakers interested0/+ a few activists

isolated demands

++ 1992 European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages

Field linguists

Academia National

Regional

LocalEL

International - Worldwide

3. Synergies and conflicts in Francoprovençal situation

c. Description, promotion (2000)

Description + Archiving FOR and WITH +

Popularizing +Sensitizing to EL +

1999 European Charter:

+ France signs - but in the end does not ratify

0 no action from the Regional Government

0 speakers indifferent+ semi-speakers+ beginning of local coordination

AULF Association Universitaire des Langues de France

++ European Charter

Field linguists

Academia National

Regional

LocalEL

International - Worldwide

+

3. Synergies and conflicts in Francoprovençal situation

d. D D A + R (2008)

D D A + R: WITH and BY ++

+ 2008 Regional languages mentioned in French Constitution

- France still refuses to ratifythe European Charter

++ 2006 Language planning (FORA)

++ 2008 Demands to French Statetogether with others Regions

++ Federation of local associations Participation in FORA

+ Speakers

++ Semi-speakers

€ FORA Project ++Francoprovençal Occitan Rhône-Alpes - sociolinguistic survey

- propositions for regional

language planning

Field linguists

Academia National

Regional

LocalEL

++ European CharterInternational - Worldwide

Conclusion 1- Road map

EL D

D ↓

A

+ R

-Cultural Rights

-Nation-State 1 State - 1 language

-Regional identity 1 region - 2 languages (francoprovençal + occitan)

FWON

FOR ↓

WITH

+ BY

NorthEuropeFrance

-Human Rights

-Indigenous Rights

-Regional autonomy

-Linguistic rights ’801 people – 1 language

-Land Rights 2000 1 people - 1 territory

North / SouthLatin AmericaNicaragua

Speakers and communities attitudes

Worldwide

International

Academia National

Regional

LocalEL

Conclusion 2 - So what do we tell students?

What do we tell students about this ideological

complexity ? to prepare them

to coach them

and not to scare them !

What is reasonable to expect of field linguists working on EL ?

of linguistic students in PhD programs ?

Thank you!