Bilingual education in an Aboriginal context: examining the transfer of language skills from Inuktitut to English or French

Indigenous Bilingual and Revitalization-Immersion Education in Canada and the USA

“…These programs are fairly exclusive to the far northern regions of Canada. Communities that subscribe to this schooling method generally share three traits: (1) they are small and geographically isolated; (2) one main Indigenous language exists in the area, or a decision has been made to support one language; and (3) the Indigenous language is the primary language of the community, with 90 % or more of the residents being both Indigenous and proficient in the Indigenous language (Aylward 2010;McGregor 2012;Usborne et al 2009). Unamen Shipu, Québec, is one community that fits this profile.…”

“…Similarly, the Inuit people of Nunavik, Québec, have implemented transitional bilingual education whereby children receive full immersion from kindergarten to grade 3 and then transition to English or French in grade 4. According to Usborne et al (2009), while this community would prefer full immersion to continue beyond grade 3, this aim has been constrained by practical barriers such as lack of curricula for higher grades and insufficient numbers of Inuit-speaking teachers.…”

Is early immersion effective for Aboriginal language acquisition? A case study from an Anishinaabemowin kindergarten

“…It was administered in the spring of each academic year by an educator whose first language is Anishinaabemowin and a research assistant. These metrics, adapted from those employed by Usborne et al (2009), were meant to assess the students' age-appropriate reading of numbers, as well as listening and speaking abilities: In the first test, the participants were asked to identify the colors of circles, using either the animate or inanimate form of the verb. Note that in Anishinaabemowin, words that are adjectives in English are either affixes, or, more commonly, inanimate verbs, so the translation of 'white' is more literally 'it is white'.…”

“…However, unlike immersion, they receive support in school with the goal of transitioning to the mainstream language. The aim is generally subtractive bilingualism, or the replacement of the Aboriginal language with the mainstream language in the school setting (Usborne et al 2009. It is also important to mention in this discussion language teaching as a subject, in which students overtly study the structure, function, and vocabulary of a language (Morcom 2014).…”

“…These range on a spectrum based on heritage language inclusion and acquisition goals. As Usborne et al (2009) write, on one end of the spectrum, transitional bilingual programs, also known as 'weak' forms of bilingual education, have potential assimilationist overtones, aiming to shift the child from the heritage minority language to the dominant, majority language as quickly as possible. On the other hand, two-way, or 'strong' bilingual programs aim to extend the use of the heritage language leading to cultural and linguistic diversity.…”