Language and Loyalty: Americanism and the Regulation of Foreign Language Schools in Hawai'i (original) (raw)
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In the late 19th century, when the United States began its illegal occupation of the Hawaiian Kingdom, the teaching of languages was dominated by an approach—grammar translation—that has been associated with élitism and cultural dominance. Since then, there have been major developments in language teaching. Among these has been the development of “communicative language teaching” (CLT), an approach intended to encourage learners to use the target language for genuine communication in culturally appropriate contexts. However, analysis of a sample of Hawaiian language lessons taught in the second decade of the 20th century revealed little evidence of any of these. Instead, an approach reminiscent of aspects of grammar translation was very much in evidence, with teacher talk, often in English, occupying over half of the lesson in each case, and with considerable evidence of confusion, frustration and minimal participation on the part of many of the students. What this suggests is the need for a comprehensive review of all those factors that have an impact on the teaching and learning of Hawaiian, including, in particular, curriculum design and teacher training. It is no longer possible to accept that while language teachers talk, often in the language/s of colonisers, language death continues to stalk those indigenous languages that have so far failed to succumb.
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History of Education Quarterly, 2003
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This paper develops Tove Skutnabb-Kangas’ concept of linguicism by distinguishing an effectuative stage and a reproductive stage of linguistic inequality. The effectuative stage is described by inference and compared with Robert Phillipson’s theory of linguistic imperialism, and it is suggested that both frameworks are still missing empirical validation for the claim that language inequality may create other forms of inequality, and that such validation should come from historical data. To demonstrate this, language policies in the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi during the 19th century are examined, with emphasis on the interpretation of bilingual statutory law, along with a number of judicial rulings. These are then related to changes in the economic sphere and the interaction is demonstrated in the curtailing of customary land use rights. The new concept of non-discriminatory linguicism is introduced to describe the presence of linguicist ideologies without concomitant discriminatory practices as a key feature of the effectuative stage of linguicism, and a new definition of linguicism is proposed.
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa , 2023
(Video Link) https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/852475315/analytics This master’s thesis explores the troubling concept of being “Hawaiian enough” within the contemporary Native Hawaiian community as a pervasive form of Native Hawaiian Lateral Violence that negatively impacts contemporary Hawaiian language acquisition by Kānaka Maoli. “Hawaiian enough” refers to the set of stereotypical, legal and social expectations placed upon Native Hawaiian people that are primarily foreign in origin and function in a way that attempts to undermine and invalidate Native Hawaiian people and their claim to their ʻŌiwi identities. Using a mix of ethnographic and autoethnographic methods to understand this particular type of social violence, this thesis examines how the internal and external perception of “not being Hawaiian enough” negatively affects Hawaiian Language learning and engagement, community relationships, cultural self-efficacy, and the worth and worthiness of many Hawaiians today. This thesis features primary data collected from 50 Native Hawaiian community members gathered through a series of Hawaiian Language Acquisition and Engagement surveys that detailed personal experiences with learning, attempting to learn, or avoiding altogether, Hawaiian language and its related acquisition opportunities as well as their reasons and perspectives while doing so. Survey responses were analyzed for expressions of shame and shaming, peer judgement, defensive failure, the Hawaiian Language Hierarchy, and the fear or avoidance of speaking Hawaiian, especially with peers, each rooted in some way in Native Hawaiian Lateral Violence. Three social phenomena unique to the Native Hawaiian community that are significant contributing factors to Native Hawaiian Lateral Violence will also be introduced, those being Reactive Skepticism, Aloha Fatigue, and Triggering Whiteness. By documenting the psychosocial challenges to Hawaiian language reclamation experienced by Kānaka today, a currently under-researched topic in academic literature, this project hopes to serve as a catalyst for future investigations into this community issue so that Hawaiian language acquisition might be more accessible and equitable for all Kānaka ʻŌiwi.
Voice"less" Hawaiian: An Analysis of Educational Policymaking, 1820-1960
1998
ACROSS THE UNITED STATES TODAY, a growing number of nondominant ethnic students are entering the public schools, renewing policy debates surrounding educational excellence versus equity for marginalized people. A historical examination of educational politics reveals that when competing social and political forces argue over the pursuit of educational goals, issues eventually become politicized with the potential reward being access to and participation in the governance system. Recently, an increasingly diverse and vocal populace has focused new attention on the policymaking process and its relationship to the educational experience and subsequent life choices of Native Americans. The study of how educational policy has affected Native Hawaiians has been given little attention. Perhaps, not coincidentally, it has failed to receive attention because it has been somewhat lost in the history of the United States, which has focused on the politics of cultural domination through assimil...