Year of Award
2014
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Type
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Degree Name
Anthropology (Cultural Heritage Option)
Department or School/College
Department of Anthropology
Committee Chair
S. Neyooxet Greymorning
Commitee Members
Gregory Campbell, Richmond Clow, Leora Bar-El, Irene Appelbaum
Keywords
boarding schools, endangered language revitalization, language sovereignty, Native American education, Native American history, sovereignty
Publisher
University of Montana
Abstract
This dissertation examines the revitalization of endangered Indigenous languages in the United States in relation to the concept of sovereignty. I investigate historical reasons for language destruction in the United States as a means of understanding the mechanism used in conquest and the long-range effects on the educational system. I use the term "language sovereignty" to reflect the right of tribal organizations in the US to assert the use of traditional languages as a means of self-identifying as distinct sovereign nations. I draw from initiatives in Hawaii and Europe to demonstrate how regional and linguistic minority languages have been revitalized and reintroduced in culture and commerce. Lastly, I suggest how language sovereignty may influence general language diversity and future language policy in the United States.
Recommended Citation
Oakes, Annie Thornburg, "A Treatise on the Assault on Language Sovereignty in the United States: History, Education, and Implications for Policy" (2014). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 4407.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/4407
© Copyright 2014 Annie Thornburg Oakes