Whose ideology, where and when ? Rama (Nicaragua) and Francoproven

1
Whose ideology, where and when ?Rama
(Nicaragua) and Francoprovençal (France)
experiences

• C. Grinevald - M. Bert
• Dynamique du Langage
• Université Lyon 2

HRELP ELAP Workshop Beliefs and Ideology LONDON
- Friday 27 - Saturday 28 February 2009
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Introduction

• We are not experts, just linguists
• - with parallel experiences Latin America /
  France
• over 20 years
• - concerned, as faculty, with training and
  supervising
• junior field linguists of EL
• proposing a road map for establishing
• ideological clarity, considering
• 1. The who and where of ideological complexity
• 2. The synergies and conflicts of the Rama
  Language Project
• 3. The synergies and conflicts of the
  Francoprovençal situation

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1. The who and where of ideological complexity

• Spheres of EL ideologies

d. International - Worldwide
a. Academia
c. National
c. Regional
b. Local Endangered Language
Field linguist
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1. The who and where of ideological complexity

• a. Academic sphere

? Foundations for EL DEL 2006 HRELP
2002 VW 1998
FEL and ELF ? Linguists organizations Germany -
GBS 1997 USA - LSA 1992 Australia - ALS
1984 ? Individual linguists Description
Documentation Archiving Revitalization
Fieldwork ON / FOR / WITH / BY Desk /
field theory / description
Academia
Field linguist
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1. The who and where of ideological complexity

• b. Local

? Linguistic communities ? activists ?
local organizations ? ? conscious or
not, politicized ? ? unified /
atomized real / virtual ? Variety of speakers
? attitudes of speakers ?
"good" speakers, "last" speakers,
"semi- speakers
Local Endangered Language
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1. The who and where of ideological complexity

• c. National and Regional

? National Constitution Laws Educational
system
? NGO ? (Indigenous) organizations ? Missionaries
National
Regional
? Autonomy laws Educational system
? Regional government ? (Indigenous) organizations
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1. The who and where of ideological complexity

• d. international - worldwide

International - Worldwide

NGO Media Biodiversity WWF World Wildlife
Foundation Climate IPCC
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change Indigenous rights Survival International
United Nations Indigenous rights UNESCO 2003
Intangible Heritage 2008 International Year of
Languages 2009 New edition of the Atlas of
EL UNICEF Local educational programs
FOUNDATIONS for EL
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Synergies and conflicts

• Energies toward EL
• very positive
• positive
• 0 no particular energy, indifference
• - negative
• - - very negative
• Synergies and conflicts
• Ebb and flow over the last 20 years
• Rama (1984 2009)
• Francoprovençal (1990 2009)

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2. Synergies and conflicts of Rama project

• a. The Rama situation

Nicaragua language hierarchy Spanish
(official) English Creole / Kriol Miskito Sumu
Mayangna - Ulwa Rama Rama Cay Creole Rama
speakers (1986) 31-58 of 900
population
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2. Synergies and conflicts of Rama project

• b. Political origins (1984)

International - Worldwide
NGO CHRLA
80 Eugene Council For Human Rights in LA
(Chili, Nicaragua) 79 Sandinista
Revolution Ministery of Culture Contrawar
? 87 Autonomy of Atlantic Coast
Linguistic Rights ? Demands of Rama leaders
for revitalization of Rama
Academia
National
Regional
LFN - Linguists For Nicaragua
Field linguist
CHRLA LFN
Local EL
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2. Synergies and conflicts of Rama project

• c. Description and revitalization (1985- 1993)

International - Worldwide
CHRLA, others CIDCA Centro de
Investigación y Document. de la Costa Atlántica
Rama contradiction (island
vs. mainland) Miss Nora - - no tiger
language from tiger people !
Academia
National
1992 Endangered Languages LSA, XV ICL
at Quebec
Regional
Field linguist
NSF NEH WG for Science LFN for
revitalization
Local EL
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2. Synergies and conflicts of Rama project

• c. Documentation - Archiving Revitalization
  (1994-2009)

International - Worldwide

Biospheric reserve of S.E Nicaragua 1999
(UNESCO) - - Threats to Rama Territory - dry
canal ( // Panama) ? - inland invasion -
Islands sold for tourism Gobierno Territorial
Rama Kriol (GTRK) defence of
territory Demarcation of Rama territory by
GTRK ? more demands for revitalization of Rama
Academia
National
Regional
Field linguist
Univ Tromso - Univ URACCAN for
revitalization HRELDP 2004 -
for dictionary and archiving
Local EL
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3. Synergies and conflicts in Francoprovençal
situation

• a. The Francoprovençal situation

French language hierarchy - French
(official) - Occitan, Breton, Alsacian
(recognized, taught) - Francoprovençal
Not recognized, cannot be taught, spoken
in 3 countries (France, Switzerland, Italy)
Speakers 50 000 in France All than 60
yr.o Name of language unknown
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3. Synergies and conflicts in Francoprovençal
situation

• b. Description (1990-)

International - Worldwide
1992 European Charter for Regional or Minority
Languages
1992 European Charter - France abstains 0
no action from the Regional Government 0
speakers indifferent semi-speakers
interested 0/ a few activists isolated
demands
Academia
National
Regional
Field linguists
Description ON 0 (? other France
languages, as Occitan, Breton, Alsacian)
Local EL
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3. Synergies and conflicts in Francoprovençal
situation

• c. Description, promotion (2000)

International - Worldwide
European Charter
1999 European Charter France signs - but in
the end does not ratify 0 no action from the
Regional Government 0 speakers indifferent
semi-speakers beginning of local coordination
Academia
National
AULF Association Universitaire des Langues de
France

Regional
Field linguists
Description Archiving FOR and WITH
Popularizing Sensitizing to EL
Local EL
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3. Synergies and conflicts in Francoprovençal
situation

• d. D D A R (2008)

International - Worldwide
European Charter
2008 Regional languages mentioned in French
Constitution - France still refuses to
ratify the European Charter 2006 Language
planning (FORA) 2008 Demands to French
State together with others Regions
Federation of local associations
Participation in FORA Speakers
Semi-speakers
Academia
National
Field linguists
D D A R WITH and BY
Regional
FORA Project Francoprovençal Occitan
Rhône-Alpes - sociolinguistic survey -
propositions for regional language
planning
Local EL
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Conclusion 1- Road map
North Europe France
North / South Latin America Nicaragua
Worldwide International
-Human Rights -Indigenous Rights -Regional
autonomy -Linguistic rights 80 1 people 1
language -Land Rights 2000 1 people - 1
territory
-Cultural Rights -Nation-State 1 State - 1
language -Regional identity 1 region - 2
languages (francoprovençal occitan)
National
Academia
EL D D ? A R
FW ON FOR ? WITH BY
Regional
Local EL
Speakers and communities attitudes
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Conclusion 2 - So what do we tell students?

• What do we tell students about this ideological
  complexity ?
• to prepare them
• to coach them
• and not to scare them !
• What is reasonable to expect of
• field linguists working on EL ?
• of linguistic students in PhD programs ?
• Thank you!