A Yami language teacher’s journey in Taiwan
-
Victoria Rau
Abstract
Yami is spoken by 3000 speakers on Orchid Island, off the coast of Taiwan. Only one of the six villages on the island has children who still speak Yami. The rest have gradually shifted to Chinese, the medium of education. Even though the Taiwan government supports indigenous language revitalization by rewarding students doing well on examinations in their heritage language,and Yami is taught in elementary and middle schools on the island, this has not helped increase Yami language use and inter-generational transmission.This chapter describes language use and language attitudes on Orchid Island over the past ten years, followed by a case study of a Yami teacher’s journey teaching Yami at various levels of schools.
Abstract
Yami is spoken by 3000 speakers on Orchid Island, off the coast of Taiwan. Only one of the six villages on the island has children who still speak Yami. The rest have gradually shifted to Chinese, the medium of education. Even though the Taiwan government supports indigenous language revitalization by rewarding students doing well on examinations in their heritage language,and Yami is taught in elementary and middle schools on the island, this has not helped increase Yami language use and inter-generational transmission.This chapter describes language use and language attitudes on Orchid Island over the past ten years, followed by a case study of a Yami teacher’s journey teaching Yami at various levels of schools.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Dedication v
- Table of contents vii
- Preface xi
- Foreword xiii
-
Introduction
- The diversity of Asia-Pacific language ecologies 1
- Education, power and sociolinguistic mobility 13
-
East Asia
- A Yami language teacher’s journey in Taiwan 33
- Power and other issues in minority language education in China 49
- Forming a Korean identity in Japan 65
-
Southeast Asia
- Patani Malay in Thai education 91
- Language in schooling in Timor-Leste 111
- Bidayuh as a subject at pre-school and primary levels 131
- Sustaining and maintaining a minority language 153
-
Oceania
- UNESCO’s action in culture and the importance of language maintenance in the Pacific 175
- State versus community approaches to language revival 185
- Vernacular education in Papua New Guinea 205
- From despised jargon to language of education 223
- Te Reo Māori – He Reo Kura? (Māori Language – A School Language?) 243
- A study of bilingual education using Samoan language in New Zealand 261
- Index 293
- Authors 289
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Dedication v
- Table of contents vii
- Preface xi
- Foreword xiii
-
Introduction
- The diversity of Asia-Pacific language ecologies 1
- Education, power and sociolinguistic mobility 13
-
East Asia
- A Yami language teacher’s journey in Taiwan 33
- Power and other issues in minority language education in China 49
- Forming a Korean identity in Japan 65
-
Southeast Asia
- Patani Malay in Thai education 91
- Language in schooling in Timor-Leste 111
- Bidayuh as a subject at pre-school and primary levels 131
- Sustaining and maintaining a minority language 153
-
Oceania
- UNESCO’s action in culture and the importance of language maintenance in the Pacific 175
- State versus community approaches to language revival 185
- Vernacular education in Papua New Guinea 205
- From despised jargon to language of education 223
- Te Reo Māori – He Reo Kura? (Māori Language – A School Language?) 243
- A study of bilingual education using Samoan language in New Zealand 261
- Index 293
- Authors 289
