Revitalising Indigenous Languages: How to Recreate a Lost Generation

Marja-Liisa Olthuis · Suvi Kivelä · Tove Skutnabb-Kangas

Jan 2013 · Linguistic Diversity and Language Rights Book 10 · Multilingual Matters

About this ebook

The book tells the story of the Indigenous Aanaar Saami language (around 350 speakers) and cultural revitalisation in Finland. It offers a new language revitalisation method that can be used with Indigenous and minority languages, especially in cases where the native language has been lost among people of a working age. The book gives practical examples as well as a theoretical frame of reference for how to plan, organise and implement an intensive language programme for adults who already have professional training. It is the first time that a process of revitalisation of a very small language has been systematically described from the beginning; it is a small-scale success story. The book finishes with self-reflection and cautious recommendations for Indigenous peoples and minorities who want to revive or revitalise their languages.

About the author

Marja-Liisa Olthuis is University Lecturer at University of Oulu, Finland. Her major interests are the Saami languages, Finnish, language revitalisation, lexicology, second/foreign language teaching and translating.

Suvi Kivelä is a researcher at the Saami Archives in Finland. She has worked as a news broadcaster at YLE, Finland's national public service broadcasting company. She is one of the Complementary Aanaar Saami Language Education graduates.

Tove Skutnabb-Kangas (Emerita) has been actively involved with struggles for language rights for five decades. Her research interests include linguistic human rights, linguistic genocide, linguicism (linguistically argued racism), mother-tongue-based multilingual education and the relationship between linguistic and cultural diversity and biodiversity.