Design Of A Developing Speech Environment Using Native Languages Of Indigenous Minorities

Abstract

The article presents the results of research on education of indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East of the Russian Federation. The native languages ​​of small indigenous peoples are under threat of extinction. The problem of teaching languages ​​is due to the fact that schoolchildren do not know their ethnic language, and native language teaching in educational organizations is not successful due to the lack of a speech environment. One of the ways to develop, support and preserve the native language and improve its school status is a developing speech environment in the native language within schools. All participants in educational relations, including parents and teaching staff, should be involved in the process of its creation. Based on the study of scientific literature, regulatory documents, information and analytical data, Internet resources on native languages of indigenous peoples, as well as distance surveys of school managers, the schools were divided by functions of native languages; the concept of a developing speech environment was specified and a developing speech environment model was designed. The model consists of three important components, including invariant and variable elements classified in accordance with the types of schools, where native languages perform different functions. The results obtained can serve as the basis for the development of a didactic system aimed at activating, stimulating and developing students' motivation to master their native (ethnic) language, develop speech and communicative skills in the conditions of the limited functions of the native language in society.

Keywords: Native (ethnic) language, indigenous peoples, developing speech environment, classification of schools, participants in educational relations

Introduction

According to UNESCO, over 40 % of the world languages are on the brink of extinction. 2019 was declared the International Year of Indigenous Languages, left behind a “train” of events that had a positive impact on the native languages of the world's peoples – their development, support, preservation and revitalization. The International Decade of Native Languages of Indigenous Peoples (2022-2032) keeps a positive trend.

According to the Unified List of Indigenous Minorities of the Russian Federation No. 255 of March 24, 200, 47 indigenous minorities live in Russia, numbering more than 300 thousand representatives, of which 40 belong to the indigenous minorities of the North, Siberia and the Far East. According to the federal monitoring conducted by the Institute for the Development of Native Languages of the Peoples of the Russian Federation created in 2019, in the 2018–2019 academic year, 27 languages of indigenous peoples were studied in educational institutions of 19 regions of the Russian Federation.

The native languages of the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East of the Russian Federation (hereinafter, the indigenous peoples of the North, IPN) occupy a special place in the education system due to the "constraint" of teaching. The study of native languages of the indigenous peoples is the study of ethnic languages, which are not spoken as native speakers of the titular peoples, for example, Tatars, Bashkirs, Yakuts, etc. Minority languages of small ethnic groups have unequal opportunities in the educational sphere: they are not studied in preschool organizations, a sufficient number of teaching hours are not allocated to study them at schools, although the problem of vitality began to concern even the languages of the largest peoples, numbering over one million and over 500 thousand people who are protected at the legislative level (Kondrashkina, 2020).

It is known that the tangible process of linguistic assimilation and loss of the native language by the indigenous peoples of the North began in the late 1980s. At present, representatives of the older generation mainly use their native languages. The last two generations are already close to the total loss of their native languages. By analyzing the life cycle of some languages the Breton language in France, the Assyrian language in Russia), it was revealed that the complete loss of the native language can occur already in the fourth generation (Muradova, 2008). Despite the positive trend and growing ethnic self-awareness, ethnic self-identification and native languages of the indigenous minorities do not coincide. The language shift is towards the Russian language. For a short historical period, the once "living" languages have passed into the state of languages disappearing from the earth, and the natural linguistic continuity of generations has been disrupted.

Problem Statement

The "constraint" effect in teaching the native languages of indigenous peoples in educational organizations is due to a number of factors reflecting the historical transformation and the current state of languages ​​of the national minorities. Among the main problems and barriers faced by these peoples in the field of education are the lack of native teachers and teachers of native languages, their professional training; shortage of children in classes; incomplete immersion in the language environment (lack of language support outside the classroom, school, in the family and in the countryside); a low level of motivation and educational needs in the study of native languages (children, parents, teaching staff, school management); shortage of teaching aids, as well as scientific schools involved in the development of teaching aids; undeveloped methods of teaching the native (ethnic) language based on the methods of teaching foreign languages; the uneven distribution of teaching hours in "Native Language" and "Native Literature" in variable curricula and the irrational arrangement of language priorities in schools; the lack of experience in the use of effective traditional and innovative technologies, forms and methods of teaching in Russia, etc.

The present article focuses on the problem field, which is of particular relevance, since it has not yet been studied in Russia and requires a scientific approach to the solution. This is the lack of a language environment and low motivation to learn the native language. These two problematic components are interdependent: if there is no language environment, there is no motivation to learn the language; if there is no motivation, there is no language environment. The mission of the education system is to provide high-quality support for the native language in society, assistance in the transmission of the language to the younger generations, the development of linguistic personality of students who speak their native language, identify themselves as part of a multinational Russian society and a representative of a particular people.

Currently, in schools there is no language support outside classes, which causes difficulties in solving the problems of language education. One of the important measures for the development, support and preservation of native languages of the indigenous peoples of the North is the creation of a developing speech environment (DSE) in schools located in places of traditional residence whose number prevails in rural settlements. This area of environmental pedagogy covers both general educational and preschool organizations, all participants in educational relations, and takes into account different degrees of knowledge of the native (ethnic) language, various educational activities (academic subjects, elective course, elective courses, additional education) and resources of rural schools that can be used in creating a special environment.

Research Questions

The subject of the research can be described in terms of the conceptual apparatus, prerequisites and conditions for creating a DSE in native languages, as well as a model for creating a DSE in schools located in places of traditional residence of the IPN.

Purpose of the Study

The aim of the study is to scientifically substantiate and design a DSE model at the level of primary general education, which will have a beneficial effect on the study of native (ethnic) languages, motivation for learning them by children and adults. In modern conditions, the natural speech environment (family, social, educational) requires special support. The absence of a speech environment in schools speaks of the need and expediency of its creation by artificial means as a set of conditions close to the natural ones contributing to the assimilation of the native language and development of a language ability.

To achieve the goal, it is necessary to solve a number of priority tasks: 1) to specify and substantiate the conceptual apparatus; 2) to divide schools according to the functions of native languages; 3) to design a DSE model which can be implemented in schools located in places of traditional residence of indigenous minorities;

Research Methods

To solve the tasks, theoretical and empirical research methods were used: an analysis of scientific literature, regulatory and strategic documents on language education; an analysis of the dynamics of the indigenous peoples' languages; classification and typology; DSE modeling; description of the concepts of speech environment, language environment and formulation of a new definition of the concept of developing speech environment; pedagogical observation of educational activities in the format of video lessons, studies of documents and information presented on the official websites of schools; a remote survey of school managers; an analysis, generalization and comparison of initial theoretical and analytical data and survey results.

Findings

The results obtained are as follows:

Designing a model for creating a DSE

In accordance with the identified types of schools, we have identified four DSE models as components of the projected DSE model (see Fig. 1): 1) the stimulating / restoring model is aimed at creating conditions for learning the native language, i.e. with a loss of the native language (the lack of a language in a school, but the manifestation of a tendency indicating the desire of children and their parents to learn the language l); 2) the supportive model is aimed at creating conditions for preserving the native language with a partial presence of the speech environment in a school; 3) the improving model is aimed at creating conditions for the development of the native language in the presence of a sufficient speech environment at school. The fourth model is the most difficult model to implement, but it is a qualitatively justified model. It is a model for creating a DSE "from scratch" with a total loss of the native language at school (the language has never been studied at school). In this case, cultural identity plays an important role for children as one of the channels for expressing their belonging to a certain ethnic group. The “introducing” model is more focused on the ethnocultural component with elements of the native language.

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The model demonstrates the DSE structure and peculiarities of its creation in schools of various types, taking into account the linguistic and educational situation. We distinguish the following DSE components: 1) the ethnocultural subject-developmental component (material ethno-oriented environment); 2) the communicative-speech component (teacher's speech and speech interaction of participants in educational organizations); 3) informational language component (language design of the school space and its territory).

Each component has its own components: content (vocabulary, speech constructions, cliche phrases, dialogues, texts, etc.), forms and means (lesson stages, school events, workshops, game attributes, panels "speech photo zones", "language trees”, communicative dictionaries, a loudspeaker, WhatsApp messenger, digital resources, etc.), methods and technologies (methods of mediatory dictation”, “educational breaks”, play methods, ICT technologies, partial CLIL technology, karaoke technology, etc.). These components are aimed at boosting cognitive activities of children (interest, activation of background knowledge), introducing them to their native culture, developing speech skills in their native (ethnic) language, mastering the native language system (development of language abilities), affecting all analyzers. They are present in the school space, in class and extracurricular activities (family environment, additional education, self-education).

Conclusion

The following conclusions can be draw:

1. The developmental potential of an educational organization can be fully realized through the development of a "speech program" (a DSE creation program), use of the native language of the indigenous peoples of the North in the local documents (the Charter of the school, Regulations on the languages ​​of education).

2. The phrasebooks in languages of the indigenous peoples of the North can have a positive effect. It can consist of sections dedicated to students, parents and teachers of other disciplines than languages.

3. For parents of students, recommendations are needed on language education, speech development, the importance of mastering the native language, bilingualism, including metalinguistic abilities. Fluency in the native language does not have a negative impact on the educational results of schoolchildren, including the Russian language. However, some researchers argue that it has a negative effect in the urban environment (Alos-i-Font & Tovar-Garcia, 2018).

4. For the network interaction of schools, monitoring of the dynamics of functions of the native language, it is necessary to form a register of schools and kindergartens located in places of traditional residence of the indigenous peoples, where the native languages are taught.

5. As an additional measure to meet the ethnocultural needs of children, a tutor (or a native speaker who meets the qualification requirements) is needed.

It is necessary to diagnose and characterize the speech and language development of children "at the entrance" and "at the exit", including by using an individual approach. At the same time, one should not forget about helping children develop motivation to use their native language outside the classroom. Through the DSE, it is necessary to reach the level of national-Russian bilingualism. Children who speak two languages have a number of advantages over their monolingual peers. These are their ability to navigate in a bilingual environment (Rubio-Fernández, 2017), divergent thinking, successful mastering of a third language. Bilingual children read better, and their phonological skills are better developed (Eviatar et al., 2018), they have an analytical approach to speaking and writing (Bialystok, 1991) and a higher level of spelling literacy.

Acknowledgments

The article was prepared as part of the research work at the Research Institute of National Schools of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) under the state order of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation No. 073-00031-20-01 dated March 13, 2020.

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