Revitalization of Wašiw Wagayay: A View from the Inside
Loading...
Authors
Klippenstein, John D.
Issue Date
2010
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
Wašiw Wagayay, the language traditionally spoken by the Wašišiw people of east central
California and the Western Great Basin, is moribund and highly endangered (Mithun,
1999; Lewis, 2009). There are and have been grassroots efforts to revitalize the
language. This research seeks to understand the importance, position, and purpose of the
language and what is necessary to revitalize the language as seen by those involved in
these grassroots efforts in the Wašišiw community of Dresslerville, Nevada. This
research finds that Wašiw Wagayay is seen as more than a medium of communication; it
is an integral aspect of the social fabric of the community. Language shift is seen as part
of the wider social and cultural weakening of the community. Thus, revitalization efforts
must address these wider social issues along side the language shift. Ultimately,
language revitalization in the Dresslerville community entails a great amount of
community revitalization as well.
Description
Citation
Publisher
License
In Copyright(All Rights Reserved)