The intergenerational transmission of Pacific languages in Aotearoa NZ


The intergenerational transmission of Pacific languages in Aotearoa NZ

Judy Taligalu McFall-McCaffery and John McCaffery

University of Auckland

ccCC BY 4.0

Cite as: Taligalu McFall-McCaffery, J. & McCaffery, J. (2017, December). The intergenerational transmission of Pacific languages in Aotearoa NZ. Paper presented at the Third UC Intergenerational Transmission of Minority Languages Symposium: Challenges and Benefits. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.5663134

SCROLL DOWN TO END OF PAGE FOR COMMENTS

The intergenerational transmission of all Pacific languages in Aotearoa NZ is now becoming seriously at risk due to the continuing lack of recognition, status and prestige in the Civic Domain which is  largely controlled by (successive) governments and their agencies. In this paper we update our current state 2010 Alternative (6)  article on the overview of Pacific languages in Aotearoa NZ and our 2013 Census analysis. We argue now that in spite of many important  initiatives by Pacific communities since 2010 that because of this lack of status in the Civic Domain, Pacific youth  and many communities continue to see our languages as the languages of older generations, suitable mainly for home and church and  largely unsuited for work, education and the future.

Judy Taligalu McFall-McCaffery, Pasifika Librarian, Researcher Maori & Pasifika Information Services, GeneralLibrary, The University of Auckland

|http://www.library.auckland.ac.nz/subjects/pasifika/pasifikasubj.htm

John   McCaffery.   Hon Academic -Researcher –Consultant –Doctoral Candidate 

Bilingual/ Biliteracy  Immersion Education  Te Puna Wananga – School of Måori and Indigenous Studies, Faculty of Education, Epsom Campus.    University of Auckland

 https://twitter.com/JohnMcCafferyNZ 




COMMENTS (6)


Ka pai Judy and John! Thanks for sharing detailed issues and concerns about heritage language maintenance within Pasifika communities including your linguistic environment. Your presentation clearly identified lack of support in heritage language(s) transmission and maintenance especially at the national level. This lack of support and resources have created dilemmas for immigrant families and these families tend to overlook at the importance of transmitting and maintaining their heritage language(s). This is one of the aims to undertake my research, as I stated this in my presentation.
Watching your presentation, I have reflected on comparing yours to my research. There are some similarities in culture, cultural values and beliefs in Korean and Samoan (Pasifika) contexts. Both cultures are family-centered and valuing connections with extended families and communities. However, there are some differences too. Second generation Koreans, NZ-born, often tend to highly achieve at schools whereas Pasifika students are commonly regarded as under-achieved at schools. Would this be the reason that Korean parents more encourage their children to speak Korean at home rather than English? Findings from my study show that both Korean parent and adolescent participants highlight advantages of being bi/multilingual. They all believe that an ability to speak a language other than English would bring career and academic benefits for themselves and NZ. What about Pasifika parents’ thoughts on this?
My colleague, Saili Akuso, is undertaking her doctorate study in Samoan bilingual speakers in Christchurch. I have passed on your presentation link to her. It would be great to share your experiences with me and Saili.
Thanks again for your presentation. Looking forward to talking more about our research!
Ngā mihi, Jean

Kia ora Judy and John. I found your presentation very thought-provoking-especially the valuable discussion of the hegemonic dominance of English in New Zealand public domains. It is difficult to see how to counter-act this as it is (as you point out) simply regarded as common sense and goes unquestioned. While you appeal to community members to resist this dominance I think you are right that this strategy alone cannot succeed in displacing English from many domain or changing attitudes to the use of languages other than English in public domains. Government support is essential . So, like you, I am hoping that the new government will pick up this important issue and support heritage language users in maintaining their precious languages.
Also the concept of “conscientisation” is interesting and is well worth further discussion I think.

    Kia ora ra /Talofa Janet- Fafetai tele/ Malo aupito for your interest and feedback
    We have added these comments below to clarify the difference and similarities between the Pacific situation and the other situations some presenters discuss in the symposium. It was originally on jean Kims Korean paper but as we have has separate emails over the issue we would like to add it here as well

    The really key issue we are seeking to highlight here is the current day effect of the 4-5 generations plus ( Late 1800s) of Pacific Peoples colonisation by western powers. Especially being told explicitly in schools and colonial institutions and via Foucault’s systems of silencing and diffuse uses of power and control, that our family /community cultures, value , beliefs, aspirations and languages are worth nothing, no use for the modern world, in education, work and outside the family and church. They have no status or prestige among the powerful in society. Education equals English -English equals education, power success and you cannot have Education unless it is in English ONLY . It poses the options only as having to choose one language or the other, never promoting the option of having both through bilingualism and biliteracy.
    Over this time families, individuals, communities and nations have become seriously conflicted about the value and place of family languages. Through hegemony we have internalised these same beliefs and then through hegemonic processes passed them on to each new generation until they have become so deep and internalised they have now often come to be seen as just normal natural widely accepted parts of our own culture these days. We argue that it is this hegemony that actually causes many individuals and families to feel guilt and blame themselves for not being more effective in maintaining and rejuvenating languages and sees the responsibility for doing so almost solely as our own groups problem ( Pacific Languages Framework MPIA research findings 2010; Also our 2010 Alternative Journal 6 article). It also prevents people from from believing , investigating , considering and taking actions base on more recent informed evidence and research about ways in which languages can be maintained and rejuvenated. These evidence informed approaches value bilingualism and bilingual/ bicultural approaches to education and life in society. This is not complete of course as we have managed to establish immersion Pasifika ECE and bilingual Education here in Aotearoa for our children and grandchildren but these numbers remain very small as a percentage (4%) of the total population and for example data is showing that in the beginning of Samoan ECE there were almost 100% total immersion in Samoan units .Today that percentage is under 30% with only 13 units in the country now classified as such.
    SO this is very similar to the situation many indigenous peoples who have been colonised for long periods of history find themselves in. This is the Māori story in Aotearoa NZ almost exactly up until 1972-1987 when the modern Māori language revival /rejuvenation movements foundations were laid down.

    It is very different however from the position where such colonisation has NOT been in force for such long periods of history. As in Kims presentation on Korean students. Korea and many other Asian and European countries do not have such destructive intergenerational histories and therefore such outcomes. In these settings ethnic language culture and identity have often been strongly intertwined internalised, and remain strong. Even where regional and local dialects and other languages within a nation state have or are still somewhat ignored or even suppressed the identity of the nation uses a dialect , variety or language considered to be inherently proudly representative of the people of the nation.
    Secondly most of all the papers in this symposium deal with first generation of migrants, the parents or first or second generation children of such strong secure identity world language children. However the longer the families live in NZ and the lack of continuous ongoing contact they have with their original countries /regions , the more the English hegemony processes come into play until in the 2nd and 3rd generation, the children and grandchildren have by them taken on board the hegemony of English only/ world language only language practices. That is why we are very interested in the ways in which other communities are seeking to counter this hegemony in their communities children and grandchildren ( e.g. Catalan)
    Our kind regards to you Janet for all the years of support and encouragement you have given NZers of all ethnicities and cultural backgrounds over issues of language/s
    Ia manuia Judy & John

Well done, Judy and John! I must say I was a little apprehensive that our presentations may duplicate each other, but I see there is no danger of that. Language maintenance in general and in Pasifika languages is such a complex process and involves so many different and related factors that we can all write about the same topic and come up with different papers! Congratulations to you two and I take my hat off to you both for your zeal, wisdom and passion for our Pasifika languages in the effort to maintain and revitalise them. I looked at Jean Kim’s questions and I realise how different the situation of our Pasifika languages is to the situation in Korean. I thank Una and Jeanette for providing this forum so we can all look in one place for language maintenance of different languages and situations. All the best to everyone in this forum, and have a great Christmas and New Year season, ‘ofa atu

Hi Judy and John,

What a lot to think about! I found your comments really interesting about the internalised ideology of ‘blame and fault’ and how this ideology is transmitted through generations, and in particular the idea that many people don’t realise the discourse around English is a belief, they think it’s just a norm. I think you’re right on in terms of ‘conscientisation’ – very interesting to think about after watching Hilde de Smede Foyer’s presentation, which might be interpreted as a more formal program of conscientisation and raising awareness. Does such a program already exist or do you think something similar might be viable in this context?

Kia ora Judy and John,

Your presentation has provided me with a deeper insight in the maintenance of Pasifika languages and the role of English as a dominant language in New Zealand in official settings. Listening to your personal experiences with your bilingual children and grandchildren emphasises how important it is for Pacific families to resist the power of hegemonic ideologies in order to maintain their heritage languages and motivate children to use them outside of home, especially in teenage years when they often lose interest in the home language under the influence of their English speaking peers. Referring to Foucault (1974, 1980) from your paper, the dualism between power and knowledge is also reflected in the relationship between politics and the power of family. The role of family language transmission is vital for language maintenance, and as such needs to be regarded as a social, cultural and economic asset. Thank you and I wish you a lovely Christmas! Tēnā kōrua. Mere Kirihimete!

LEAVE A REPLY