Possibilites for revitalizing the Itelmen language, Kamchatka, Russia, 2013-2016

This project research was conducted in Kamchatka, the Pacific coast of Russia among Itelmen people - an indigenous minority group with a severely endangered language. The project documented and evaluated a range of ongoing efforts to revitalize Itelmen and analyzed the effectiveness of the existing language revitalization tools and programs. This research was conducted in order to contribute to a deeper understanding of language and cultural revitalization programs not only among Itelmens of Kamchatka, but also with the purpose to inform about these programs world-wide. The preservation of this language in the face of centuries of assimilation programs enacted by Russian Imperial and later Soviet administrations is significant. The most significant broader impact is what other Indigenous communities in a similar situation to the Itelmen can learn from this community's struggles and efforts as well as what Itelmens can learn from other communities that are struggling to save their language. Researchers on this project aimed to understand which methods should be applied for a successful Itelmen language revitalization program both in class and outside the classroom. When this research started in 2013 there were about nine speakers who were growing up speaking Itelmen as their first language. By the end of the study in 2016 only four speakers remained. In Kamchatka the student researcher visited five different locations. Each has its own specifics. Part of the research was dedicated to the use of multimedia in language revitalization. The main outcome of this part of the project was the publication of the DVD of Itelmen traditional and contemporary songs with subtitles and video Xaƚc mǝncaⱪa’ƚkicen (Let's sing). The idea was borrowed from the widely known Karaoke. Each song has a voice of the native speaker singing the song, visualized by subtitles in Itelmen and Russian, and video. This research indicated that Itelmens are ready to be active in bringing their language back to the active life, however there is a great lack of knowledge about the language immersion methodologies and other techniques that go beyond the educational setting of schools.本研究于俄罗斯太平洋沿岸的堪察加半岛开展，研究对象为伊捷尔缅族（Itelmen）——一个母语濒临严重灭绝的原住民少数群体。本项目对当前伊捷尔缅语振兴的多项实践进行了记录与评估，并分析了现有语言振兴工具及项目的实施成效。本研究的开展，一方面旨在深化对堪察加半岛伊捷尔缅族语言与文化振兴实践的认知，另一方面则希望向全球推广相关振兴项目的经验。在俄罗斯帝国及后续苏联政府推行的数百年同化政策背景下，该语言的存续具有重要意义。本研究最具普适价值的影响在于：一是为处境相似的其他原住民群体提供借鉴，使其可从伊捷尔缅族的抗争与实践中汲取经验；二是帮助伊捷尔缅族向其他正在抢救本族语言的社区学习。本项目的研究人员旨在探索适用于伊捷尔缅语振兴的有效方法，覆盖课堂内外两大场景。2013年本研究启动时，仅存约9名以伊捷尔缅语为母语的使用者；至2016年研究结束时，这一数字仅剩4人。研究人员在堪察加半岛共走访了五个各具特色的调研地点。研究的一部分聚焦于多媒体技术在语言振兴中的应用。本部分研究的核心成果是推出了带有字幕与视频的伊捷尔缅语传统及当代歌曲DVD，名为《Xaƚc mǝncaⱪa’ƚkicen》（意为‘让我们歌唱’）。该设计灵感源自广为人知的卡拉OK模式：每首歌曲均配有母语使用者的演唱音频，搭配伊捷尔缅语与俄语双语字幕，辅以同步视频画面。研究表明，伊捷尔缅族民众已积极投身于本族语言的活化工作，但目前极度缺乏超越学校课堂范畴的语言沉浸式教学及其他相关方法的认知。