Reclaiming Our Languages

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Reclaiming our languages Annotated BibliographyDownload

“teepaalilaani” © Hannah Buchanan 2025

  • Students’ Perspectives on Navajo Language and Learning: Voices of the Students

    Shepard draws on student voices to determine what methods of teaching are preferred in Navajo heritage language classes, and to consider how heritage language classes affect youth engagement with both their culture and western education. She notes that students express a desire for higher quality language instruction, and that they would like the opportunity to participate in more language and culture-based activities, including immersion. She identifies that all students involved value the Dine language.

    Shepard, M. (2012). Students’ perspectives on Navajo language and learning: Voices of the students. (Publication No. 3503423) [Doctoral Dissertation, Arizona State University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/students-perspectives-on-navajo-language-learning/docview/1009735456/se-2?accountid=14789

  • The Cherokee Nation Immersion School as a Translanguaging Space

    Peter et al. explore how Tsalagi Dideloquasdi students navigate Cherokee language revitalization, language interactions, and community spaces. They find that immersion education produces students who are robust translanguagers by the time they reach fifth and sixth grades. They also note that the success of students is in many ways dependent on the support they receive outside of the classroom and the engagement level of their parents.

    Peter, L., Hirata-Edds, T., Feeling, D., Kirk, W., & Duncan, P. T. (2017). The Cherokee Nation Immersion School as a translanguaging space. Journal of American Indian Education, 56(1), 5–31. https://doi.org/10.1353/jaie.2017.a798920

  • Language revitalization on the web: Technologies and ideologies among the Northern Arapaho

    Vagner explores the effects of language ideologies on language revitalization, especially the revision of language ideologies and the development of web resources. She considers Arapaho instruction and how the improvement of Arapaho website materials may produce new language ideologies. She notes that language ideologies, including that learning words in isolation is sufficient, act as an obstacle to Arapaho language revitalization. She presents digital materials as a way to circumvent this obstacle, but indicates that teachers are more likely to use language websites, while learners are more likely to use social media. She advocates for the use of computer-assisted learning as a supplement to in-person education focused on high quality immersion.

    Vagner, I. A. (2014). Language revitalization on the web: Technologies and ideologies among the Northern Arapaho. (Publication No. 1558776) [Master’s Thesis, University of Colorado, Boulder]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/language-revitalization-on-web-technologies/docview/1554339764/se-2?accountid=14789

  • Lakȟótiyapi kiŋ uŋglúkinipi (We Revitalize Our Lakota Language): Native Language Revitalization at Standing Rock

    Hauff examines efforts to revitalize Lakota on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. She explores grassroots, community language revitalization processes and hopes to contribute to the work of those engaging directly with Indigenous languages. She investigates both school-centric programs for children, immersion programs, and adult-focused instruction. She considers the differences between performing language and speaking language, and notes that a lack of quality assessment is an issue of lack of resources. She advocates for increased funding to support immersion teachers and to appropriately compensate Elders in classrooms.

    Hauff, T. R. (2019). Lakȟótiyapi kiŋ uŋglúkinipi (We revitalize our Lakota Language): Native language revitalization at Standing Rock. (Publication No. 13899626) [Doctoral Dissertation, University of California, Berkeley]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/lakȟótiyapi-kiŋ-uŋglúkinipi-we-revitalize-our/docview/2595145926/se-2?accountid=14789

  • Hey, there’s wi-fi at this camp!”: Remediating materiality, language learning, and digital identity within the Apsaalooke language app

    Molinari explores how the Apsaalooke Language App, from conception and beyond release, engages with language revitalization, community expressions of educational sovereignty, material culture digital returns, and shared memories. She reaffirms that Indigenous language revitalization is deeply interconnected with the transmission of cultural knowledges, and that interactive features and pleasing colour choices are important to promote community engagement. She describes how the Crow tribe is using the language app to connect young people, the most frequent users of new technology, and Elders who share their knowledge and voices in app development. She shares that community members are most excited about pronunciation exercises as they feature audio from community members they know, and increase confidence around speaking.

    Molinari, K. E. (2018). “Hey, there’s wi-fi at this camp!”: Remediating materiality, language learning, and digital identity within the Apsaalooke language app. [Doctoral Dissertation, University of Oklahoma]. https://shareok.org/items/0679156a-a41a-4aa6-95f9-35d86385297a

  • The Enweyang Program: Indigenous Language Nest as Lab School

    McInnes describes the successes, challenges, and best practices gleaned from the development and operation of the Enweyang Language Nest, an Ojibwemowin immersion preschool at the University of Minnesota Duluth. He offers itemized best practices for the creation of a language nest, including discussion of how a university-community partnership can foster rich connections between Indigenous families, Indigenous children, and undergraduate students. He also explores the interconnected nature of language revitalization and cultural knowlege and ways of being.

    McInnes, B. (2017). The Enweyang Program: Indigenous language nest as lab school. Journal of American Indian Education, 56(1), 105–120. https://doi.org/10.5749/jamerindieduc.56.1.0105

  • Haa Dachxánx’i Sáani Kagéiyi Yís: Haa Yoo X’atángi Kei Naltseen. For Our Little Grandchildren: Language Revitalization among the Tlingit

    Twitchell explores Tlingit language loss and revitalization, culminating in a presentation of a 30-year plan for Tlingit reclamation. He advocates for increased attention towards adult immersion learners, the creation of safe acquisition environments, community and personal healing, and action planning. He considers the interrelated nature of goal-setting, assessment, and celebration, and notes that all three are critical to a strong immersion program. He calls for love and care in all language revitalization work.

    Twitchell, X. L. (2018). Haa Dachxánx’i Sáani Kagéiyi Yís: Haa Yoo X’atángi Kei Naltseen. For our little grandchildren: Language revitalization among the Tlingit. (Publication No. 13419663) [Doctoral Dissertation, University of Hawai’i]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/haa-dachxánxi-sáani-kagéiyi-yís-yoo-xatángi-kei/docview/2210922203/se-2?accountid=14789

  • Using assessment to inform instruction in cherokee language revitalisation

    Peter and Hirata-Edds describe the positive backwash effects of using the Cherokee Preschool Immersion Language Assessment (C-PILA) on teacher practices at the Cherokee Immersion Preschool. They offer a model of how assessment can be as much for learning as of learning and how assessment, especially in language revitalization projects, can be a pedagogical tool not a determination of program success or failure. They describe the C-PILA, its results, and detail how feedback from assessments can be successfully integrated into professional development.

    Peter, L., & Hirata-Edds, T. E. (2016). Using assessment to inform instruction in Cherokee language revitalisation. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 9(5), 643–658. https://doi.org/10.2167/beb385.0

  • From preschool to home: Processes of generalisation in language acquisition from an indigenous language recovery programme

    Tangaere and McNaughton study how children bring Maori home from the Te Kohanga Reo language nest, and what factors at home facilitate the transfer of knowledge. They also investigate how generalization happens between a language nest and the home environment. They learn that Waiata (socialization songs), which are learned at school through routines of demonstration and imitation embedded in group performances, are a major way that knowledge transfer may happen between school and home. They also recognize that language transfer can be supported by already existing activity structures at homes that match school structures. For example if singing is valued at home, then the language skills learned through song at school can be easily transferred to the home environment.

    Tangaere, A. R., & McNaughton, S. (2003). From preschool to home: Processes of generalisation in language acquisition from an Indigenous language recovery programme. International Journal of Early Years Education, 2(1), 23–40. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669760.2003.10807104

  • Using a Stimulus Equivalence Paradigm to Teach Numerals, English Words, and Native American Words to Preschool-Age Children

    Haegele et al. study whether teaching conditional discriminations to a group of pre-Kindergarden students in public school can result in stimulus equivalence among numbers, corresponding English words, and corresponding Ojibwe or Dakota words. They learn that match-to-sample training on a computer is quite effective at promoting language acquisition and prompting students to build connections between visual input, English words, and Ojibwe or Dakota words. They find that using match-to-sample training led to students massively outperfroming their peers, who did not recieve the training.

    Haegele, K. M., McComas, J. J., Dixon, M., & Burns, M. K. (2011). Using a stimulus equivalence paradigm to teach numerals, English words, and Native American words to preschool-age children. Journal of Behavioral Education, 20(4), 283–296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-011-9134-9