(Reprinted with permission. Bay Mills News,
June 3, 2004.)
BAY MILLS — Learning to speak Nishnaabemwin
is not a simple task for someone who was raised to speak English, considering
that the two languages have little in common. The words, grammar and linguistic
concepts are quite different, and it is for this reason that the Nishnaabemwin
Pane Immersion Program has taken a different approach to presenting the
language.
Barbara Nolan, and immersion instructor with the program, has developed
a philosophy of language acquisition for her students. She explained that
young children acquire their native language by listening to their parents
and other speakers they encounter. After the language has been acquired,
children then learn about the language — spelling, grammar rules
and writing — once they begin to attend school.
Using this model, Nolan presents her lessons to her students simply by
speaking naturally. She tells stories to the students using a variety
of visual aids to demonstrate proper contextual word usage. Nolan refers
to this process as “active listening,” adding that young children
learn in much the same way.
Nolan is confident that this process is an effective method for students
to acquire the language, but she admitted that the biggest hindrance for
students is the limited amount of time they have to listen. She said that
the average person needs a minimum of 2,000 hours of hearing and practicing
the language in order to obtain basic fluency, with upwards of 6,000 hours
being needed to become a full speaker.
The guiding principles of the immersion program dictate that the instructors
will speak only Nishnaabemwin to the students, maintaining that hearing
the spoken language is crucial to acquisition. Students are encouraged
to attempt to speak Nishnaabemwin themselves, but, as Nolan said, they
are never “put on the spot” and expected to speak.
As currently developed, the immersion program is two years in length,
with four 15- to 16-week semesters, a summer semester and nine immersion
weekends. With students averaging five hours of language exposure per
week during the semesters and up to 20 hours during the immersion weekends,
the amount of time spent listening and practicing the language approaches
400 to 500 hours— well below the target of 2,000 hours.
Because of this, the students are encouraged to seek out fluent speakers
in order to gain more practice with Nishnaabemwin. Currently, these speakers
work on a volunteer basis, but Nolan would like to be able to formalize
this practice by developing relationships with more speakers who would
be willing to aid the students. She also said that she would like to see
a third level of Nishnaabemwin instruction so that the students could
attain the needed 2,000 hours.
Nolan is a native speaker who lives in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. Originally
from Manitoulin Island, Ont.; she did not start learning English until
she entered school. A counselor by profession, Nolan recently retired
from Sault College, allowing her more time to assist the immersion program.
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