Promotion is not proficiency

If you're a language learner online, then you are no stranger to Word of the Day and its other iterations popping up in your feeds. Sharing tidbits of language online is great, but we also wonder, what are we actually accomplishing? What happens to language reclamation when it moves online and is shaped by algorithms, engagement, and shot form content? Are we learning language or just promoting it? To be clear, we see the value in language promotion - we, too, are a language promotion program. Join us in today's conversation, which may or may not just be our venting session recorded and posted online.

We've both been there - teaching Nishnaabemwin while still learning it ourselves. In this episode, we unpack the L2 teacher experience. When there aren't enough fluent speakers, learners often become teachers, but what does that mean for the language? We share our thoughts, experiences, and a few hard truths about where we are at, and where we need to go. 

"Mii Maanda Enendamaang" or "This is what we're thinking." Co-hosts Mskwaankwad and Jess share their thoughts on the landscape of Anishnaabemwin language reclamation currently. Thoughtful at times, and as always, a few hints of rezzy. 

Aanii miinwaa! Gegpii naa ngii-bi-pskaabiimi! Hi again! We have finally come back. Hosts Mskwaankwad and Miigwanaabiikwe (Jess) catch you all up on the last 2 years we have been away. It's nice to be back.

"How a person is known that will be a good Nishnaabe speaker." From the vaults of the year 2023, hosts Miigwanaabiikwe and Mskwaankwad talk about signs of a successful language learner. Stay tuned for more recent episodes coming soon. Kii-mesnigoom! We have missed you all!

We're back and we have some catching up to do! This time we are diving in to the mailbag to answer your listener letters. Today's episode title, Maajiibiignan ("maw jee beeg nun") means "letters." You can always send us an email to have your letter read aloud on the show, especially if you have a funny or embarrassing language learning story. 

Pretendians. Race shifting. We hear about these stories in the news where individuals with tenuous or untrue claims to Indigeneity have taken positions of power or prestige reserved for Indigenous people. Now we see this same issue happening in the language reclamation field. Today we sit down with Dr. Celeste Pedri-Spade to discuss the article her and colleague Dr. Sarah Shulist co-authored on this very topic, entitled "Lingua Nulls: Indigenous Language Learning and Revitalization as Sites for Settler-Colonial Violence." Our episode title, "Enishnaabewikaazjig" means "Those who pretend to be Anishinaabe." To read the aforementioned article, email us with the subject line Celeste, or click on the following link https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OIWdQd-jzf-0q3bqoue8BITtw9vewK27/view?usp=sharing 

Ezhi-giizhweying ("eh-zhi geezh weh ying"), or how we speak, is one way we have decided to translate dialect. Although Anishinaabemowin is understood amongst different speakers across the territory, we do still have different dialects and ways of speaking our language. At the end of the day, speaking any dialect is better than none at all. To listen to Aakoziiwigamig: https://www.uwinnipeg.ca/indigenous/indigenous-languages/aakoziiwigamig.html 

The episode where we talk about whatever, and share updates on where we've been and what we've been doing. Today's episode title, "Nbwaachwedaa" (pronounced "Bwotch wey daw") means "let's visit." We've missed you all! 

We discuss everything and anything language with Alan Corbiere (Ojiig) from M'Chigeeng First Nation. We hope you enjoy and learn as much as we did recording this podcast.