“Saving a Language You’re Learning to Speak”
Shereen Marisol Meraji, et al., 2021
Originally published on NPR’s Codeswitch
Hashtags
#multilingual, #personal narrative, #identity, #indigeneity, #audio, #settler-colonialism, #education, #family, #language discrimination, #journalistic, #community, #personal is political, #storytelling
Frame
JS: This is a bit of a unique text in the reader, not only because it is a radio show (and functions somewhat as an audio essay) but because its approach shifts halfway through the segment. With this in mind, we wanted to highlight the first part of the episode as more suitable for close “reading” while the second part may inspire reflection and analysis through juxtaposition with other texts included in the reader.
Saving A Language You’re Learning to Speak Podcast
This podcast has close-shot questions at various pause points. They may be helpful to review before listening and can be found in the guide below.
Text Version
Close Shots:
| Time (mm:ss) | Questions |
| 1:45 |
|
| 4:28 |
|
| 7:37 |
|
| 10:56 |
|
| 13:35 |
|
| 15:42 |
|
Text Version
Wide Shots:
- What does the idea “nest of language” mean to you? Try drawing this image to uncover different layers of meaning in the phrase.
- Following up, brainstorm idioms you have heard in English or look at the lists below. Examine what the language is doing literally and how this does or does not convey the message implied.
- What is an example of a choice made in a previous generation in your family that has shaped who you are, how you understand yourself and the world?
- What are some examples of language loss due to “English only” rules or other forced changes? What do you know about the loss of indigenous languages here in the U.S.? Elsewhere? If this is a new topic, what questions do you have?
Mid Shots
- See “Language Life Story” for a short research assignment that dives into endangered languages and reclamation movements.
Possible Transitions
ET: NPR’s “Saving a Language You’re Learning to Speak” pairs well with Robin Wall Kimmerer’s “Aster and Goldenrods” to broaden the picture of what is lost when indigenous languages are lost. Another fruitful pairing is with Gloria Anzaldúa’s “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” to broaden the conversation on the challenges of maintaining your languages despite social pressures.
DU: I would suggest Miller’s work as a complement to this in order to craft a class around comparative American indigeneities.
See:
“As a Child in Haiti, I Was Taught to Despise My Language and Myself”
“Gun Bubbles”
“How to Tame a Wild Tongue”
“Place Name: Oracabessa”
“Puerto Rican Obituary”
“Saving a Language You’re Learning to Speak”
“Three Ways to Speak English”
"To Speak is to Blunder"
“Vão/Vòng A Conversation with Katrina Dodson"
Against the Grain: Listening for Controversy (exploration)
Historical Contexts (exploration)
Parsing Themes (exploration)
Translations Across and Within Languages (exploration)
a nonfiction genre where the author and narrator are one
See:
"Asters and Goldenrod"
"Connecting the Dots"
“Grammar, Identity, and the Dark Side of the Subjunctive”
“Gun Bubbles”
“How to Tame a Wild Tongue”
"Saving a Language You're Learning to Speak"
“Skin Feeling”
"To Speak is to Blunder"
Critical Learning Reflection (exploration)
Poetry and Science: Epistemology through Language (exploration)
See:
"Asters and Goldenrod"
"Connecting the Dots"
“Grammar, Identity, and the Dark Side of the Subjunctive”
“How to Tame a Wild Tongue”
“Saving a Language You’re Learning to Speak”
“Puerto Rican Obituary”
“The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action”
“Vão/Vòng A Conversation with Katrina Dodson"
recorded text delivered orally rather than in writing
See:
"Asters and Goldenrod"
“Grammar, Identity, and the Dark Side of the Subjunctive”
“Place Name: Oracabessa”
"Puerto Rican Obituary"
“Saving a Language You’re Learning to Speak”
“Three Ways to Speak English”
Dialogue Over Time: A New Boogaloo: “How Beautiful We Really Are” (exploration)
Historical Contexts (exploration)
Indigenous Perspectives of Western Science (exploration)
Music Trails (exploration)
Reading the “Fine Print” (exploration)
a nonfiction genre typically found in newspapers and magazines like interviews, op-eds, or feature articles
See:
“As a Child in Haiti, I Was Taught to Despise My Language and Myself”
“Saving a Language You’re Learning to Speak”
“Vão/Vòng A Conversation with Katrina Dodson"
See:
"Asters and Goldenrod"
“Grammar, Identity, and the Dark Side of the Subjunctive”
“How to Tame a Wild Tongue”
“Saving a Language You’re Learning to Speak”
“Skin Feeling”
Dialogue Over Time: A New Boogaloo: “How Beautiful We Really Are” (exploration)
Building an Opinion (exploration)
Self Reflection, Collective Change (exploration)
See:
“The Contract Says: We’d Like the Conversation to be Bilingual”
“How to Tame a Wild Tongue”
“Place Name: Oracabessa”
“Puerto Rican Obituary”
“Saving a Language You’re Learning to Speak”
“Skin Feeling”
“Three Ways to Speak English”
"To Speak is to Blunder"
“The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action”
Body as Metaphoric Space (exploration)
Emotion in Language (exploration)
Historical Contexts (exploration)
Juxtapositions of Silence (exploration)
Self Reflection, Collective Change (exploration)
Transculturation, Language and South-South Migration (exploration)
emphasizes narrative traits and modes for structure and meaning
See:
"Asters and Goldenrod"
“Grammar, Identity, and the Dark Side of the Subjunctive”
“Saving a Language You’re Learning to Speak”
Collage: Found, Donated, Repeated with Difference (exploration)
