Language and cultural identity: Perceptions of the role of ...

[Pages:197]Language and cultural identity: Perceptions of the role of language in the construction of Aboriginal identities

by

Claire Owen

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies

Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario

?2011 Claire Owen

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Abstract

The belief in an essential bond between traditional language and cultural identity is prominent in discourses promoting Indigenous languages. It is not always clear, however, to what extent this view corresponds to Aboriginal individuals' actual attitudes regarding their languages. Five semi-structured interviews constitute the primary source of data for this study, supported by a focus group discussion and participatory observation. A bottom-up qualitative approach, discourse analysis (DA), is employed to identify major emergent themes and specific discursive features revealing participants' language attitudes. Key themes include social mobility and cultural continuity, pride and shame, names and naming practices, and land. Findings illustrate that although there are other modes of identification, language remains a prominent manifestation of identity for most participants. An awareness of individual perceptions of the presumed language/identity link may have implications for conceptualising Aboriginality, for understanding the role of language in identity negotiation, and for undertaking language maintenance efforts.

Keywords: language attitudes, cultural identity, Aboriginal, Canada, discourse analysis

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Acknowledgements

This thesis could not have been completed without the greatly appreciated support and involvement of a significant number of people. My first debt of gratitude must be paid to the five Aboriginal women who volunteered their time and emotional energy as participants in this project: chi miigwetch (thank you) for your patience, your openness, your strength of character and most of all for sharing with me your own stories and your own truths. I am truly humbled.

I am also deeply indebted to local Aboriginal organisations and community members. Thank you to Mallory Whiteduck, Naomi Sarazin and Irvin Hill at CACE, and Patricia Reynolds and Leslie Cousins at AESP, for your invaluable input during the early stages of research. To the staff at Wabano Centre, Ottawa Inuit Children's Centre and Tungasuwingat Inuit, qujannamiik for welcoming me and allowing me to participate in the wonderful activities and programmes you offer. Chi miigwetch to Elders Paul Skanks, Cle-alls (John Medicine Horse Kelly) and Willy Bruce for your patience, insight and guidance.

Thanks also go to a number of SLALS faculty and staff: my supervisor Jaffer Sheyholislami for your guidance, encouragement, and countless hours of diligent editing; Ellen Cray for your important insights during the writing phase; Devon Woods for the motivating pep talks; and Joan Grant for always having the answers to my many administrative questions.

Merci infiniment to my partner Shane for your unwavering support and for keeping me grounded, and to my family back home for believing in me. Finally, special thanks to my mother, not only for the constant reassurance from nearly 5,000 km away, but because it is thanks to your voice and your song that some of the earliest words I heard were in an Aboriginal language:

Hey, hey watenay Hey, hey watenay Hey, hey watenay

Kah-ni-ki-nah Kah-ni-ki-nah

~ All my relations ~

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Table of Contents

Abstract

ii

Acknowledgements

iii

List of Tables

vi

List of Appendices

vii

List of Abbreviations

viii

Chapter 1: Introduction

1

Chapter 2: Literature Review and Theoretical Framework

7

2.1 Identity: Multiplicity, Sameness and Difference

8

2.2 Language and Identity

12

2.2.1 Language functions: instrumental and symbolic

12

2.2.2 The importance of "mother tongue"

14

2.2.3 Implications

20

2.2.4 Cultural and bicultural identity

25

2.3 Language Attitudes

28

2.4 Investigating Language (Attitudes) and Identity: Discourse Analysis

32

2.4.1 Studies on language and identity

34

2.4.2 Thematic trends in language and identity studies

42

2.5 Language and Identity in an Aboriginal Context in Canada

43

Chapter 3: Methodology

57

3.1 Research Questions

57

3.2 Ethical Considerations

58

3.3 Research Site and Recruitment Process

58

3.4 Participants

61

3.5 Data Collection

64

3.5.1 Participatory observation

65

3.5.2 Focus group

67

3.5.3 Individual interviews

68

3.5.4 Transcription

68

3.6 Data Analysis

69

3.6.1 Thematic coding

69

3.6.2 Linguistic analysis

70

3.7 Study Limitations

75

Chapter 4: Analysis and Findings

77

4.1 Social Mobility and Cultural Continuity

79

4.1.1 Usefulness: A discourse of social mobility

79

4.1.2 Struggle: A discourse of cultural continuity

82

4.2 Pride and Shame

88

4.2.1 Pride and belonging

89

4.2.2 Shame and alienation

95

4.3 Names and Naming Practices

101

4.4 Land

110

4.4.1 Language and land

110

4.4.2 Rural vs. urban

113

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4.4.3 Tradition vs. modernity

118

4.5 Additional Modes of Identification

122

4.5.1 Additional non-linguistic aspects of Aboriginal identity

122

4.5.2 Non-specific Aboriginal identity

125

4.5.3 Mixed heritage and Canadian identities

128

Chapter 5: Discussion

134

5.1 Summary of Themes

134

5.2 Summary and Discussion of Individual Attitudes

137

5.2.1 Jade

137

5.2.2 Victoria

138

5.2.3 Delia and Winona

141

5.2.4 Sophie

143

5.3 Beyond Instrumental and Symbolic: A Third Language Function?

144

5.4 Pride and Shame: New Twists on Old Themes?

146

5.5 Sketching Cultural Identities in Light of BII

151

5.6 Return to the Research Questions

154

Chapter 6: Conclusion

158

6.1 Further Research Directions

161

References

165

Appendices

178

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List of Tables

Table 1: Definitions of mother tongue

15

Table 2: Participant data summary

62

List of Appendices

Appendix A: Participant Biographies Appendix B: Participatory Observation Appendix C: Focus Group Questions Appendix D: Sample Interview Questions

vii

179 184 185 186

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