Words as big...

McHenry, T. (2002). Words as big as the screen: Native American languages and the internet. Language Learning & Technology, 6. 102-115.

This article is about how most of the research of Native Americans is conducted by non-Natives in language studies, and emphasizes the need of Native Americans becoming the ones to do the research on the language of Native Americans. It ranges from language loss, language shift and language renewal. The article also pushes Native American Websites to be published. It would be a way for Native American languages to thrive with the technology modes, to promote their language authentically, and to move away from being stereotyped of being silent subjects. The article also examined a Native American language elementary school on how they designed their website in Lushootseed language which is located in the Puget Sound of Washington state.

When I read the article, it made me think about our school website on how its written Yup’ik, but has translations in English for non-Yup’ik speaking parents. This falls into the social factors of the community. Most of the parents in the school are non-literate in Yugtun. I was impressed on the elementary school of Tulalip on how the fourth grade students composed a website. I signed to the webpage, but it couldn’t find it. What would their webpage be?

The reality of Native Americans with Phd’s will become a reality for Alaska Natives, and thanks to the SLATE program. Having the Phd students to study languages of their own and to give some voice is what we need. Actually we’ll all become voices for our people.