Why Some Young CHamorus Actively Learn the CHamoru Language While Others Do Not

Abstract

For the generation of CHamorus who grew up without CHamoru language fluency, what the language means for their CHamoru identity is not entirely clear as there has not been a comprehensive study of their ethnolinguistic identity. This chapter explores how young CHamorus articulate their CHamoru identity in relation to the CHamoru language based on interviews with fourteen young CHamorus. The study provides a theoretical model, the CHamoru Identity Language Articulation Model (CHILAM), which identifies decision pathways and processes to explain why some young CHamorus actively learn the language while others do not. The model maps out the various motivating and inhibiting factors that influence participants' learning of the CHamoru language, which provides relevant information for CHamoru language advocates, policymakers, and teachers.