Saiakwatsirón:ni - We Are Reigniting the Fire: Regeneration of Kanien’kéha Silent Speakers 

by Kahentéhtha Angela Elijah

 

Partial Abstract:

This paper addresses language loss and the effects of becoming silent speakers, people who understand a language but do not speak it. It is a topic that has been neglected and has created a gap in scholarly research. There is a limited amount of knowledge which has contributed to literature in reference to silent speakers. Although, linguists have written about the deterioration in the structure of the language of silent speakers, there is little knowledge regarding the mental, emotional, social and spiritual effects on people who understand their Ancestral language, but do not speak it. For this reason, further research is needed to address the issues of silent speakers.

(92pgs)