Language Revivalism and Revitalization in Pacific and Asian Areas

Indigenous efforts to revive endangered languages are recounted. The decline of the Ayiwo (Papuan) language of the Solomon Islands among young people was accelerated by the complexity of its noun-class system. Measures to revitalize Ayiwo include development of a fully phonemic alphabet, transcription of traditional texts, creation of an illustrated culturally relevant dictionary, production of written materials, & literacy instruction; the strengthening of the native language also rekindled interest in traditional cultural practices. Other examples of language revival are sketched: Natugu or Londai (Papuan) of Santa Cruz Island; Ainu of Hokkaido, Japan; Yakut (Turkic) & Evenki of Siberia; & Aboriginal Australian languages. 7 References. E. Taylor