- 著者
-
松原 好次
- 出版者
- 電気通信大学
- 雑誌
- 電気通信大学紀要 (ISSN:09150935)
- 巻号頁・発行日
- vol.19, no.1-2, pp.117-128, 2006-12-25
This paper is an attempt to assess the achievements of the struggles for survival of the indigenouslanguage in Haw‘ai i. The ongoing revitalization movement of the Hawaiian language is regarded asone of the most successful models for rejuvenating minority languages. This movement, however,faces a number of problems that might hinder its development. One of the problems is thatgraduates of Kula Kaiapuni (Hawaiian language immersion schools) have much difficulty inmaintaining their ability in the minority language. In order to assess Hawaiian language use amonggraduates, interviews were conducted with three graduates of Ke Kula‘ ONa-wah okalani ‘o - pu ‘u, a Hawaiian language immersion school in Hilo. The findings show thatNa-wah graduates, some of whom have started working as Hawaiian language immersion teachers,generally suffer from little availability of career opportunities in which they can make the most oftheir ability in the Hawaiian language. Meanwhile, the interviews have also revealed that some ofthe Na-wah graduates are endeavoring to raise their children with the Hawaiian language. This factis expected to rejuvenate the indigenous language as the“mother tongue”in the Hawaiian speakingcommunity. This paper concludes with a recommendation that the Hawaiian model play a key rolein revitalization and perpetuation of minority languages in other parts of the world.