Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium (SILS) 2010
Event Date:
Friday, 25 June, 2010 - Sunday, 27 June, 2010 The 17th Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium will be held at The University of Oregon, in Eugene. Its theme is Language and Place: Language and Place are intrinsically tied together. Indigenous thought and lifeways are rooted in the
places people have lived since time immemorial. With this thought in mind, please submit proposals
that support these ideas through educating and informing language workers, advocates, programs, and
linguists from around the world.
Presentations focussing on best practices in language revitalization/maintenance are especially welcomed. The symposium is hosted by the Northwest Indian Language Institute and the University of Oregon Linguistics Department.
Comments
language & place
She:kon/Greetings,
I love the theme of the conference. Place is crucial for language survival. From the community to the actual instructional setting, formal and informal.
The indigenous language plays a key role in issues such as environmental restoration and land claims.
If there are any words, even one word that is used to refer to any part of the land or environment in general, it proves indigenous people hold inherent and historical ties to that land.
The environment of language learning is also crucial. An immersion setting with a cultural based curriculum is the most conducive to language acquisition. Some schools still want to establish a "language program" as part of the mainstream school system but the dominant language will be english based and will hinder the language and cultural acquisition by students.