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| 教 育 專 題 深 入 報 導《2008-02-29》 |
| 本期內容 | |
| ◎國際專題：保存與傳承母語 刻不容緩 | |
| ◎人權組織指控：中國刻意忽略 傷害藏語 | |
| ◎加拿大學校努力讓原民語言重生 | |
| 國際專題：保存與傳承母語 刻不容緩 | |
| 策劃、編譯■陳銳嬪、陳玫伶 | |
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每個人都有屬於自己的母語，但是講自己母語的機會，並不是人人都有。 在主流社會的價值觀下，我們往往只有單一的主流語言，弱勢族群的語言常常被排擠掉、消失了。 世界的美在於多元，每種語言都有其存在的意義與價值。我們應該努力保護快消失的語言，讓已經消失的語言重生。 |
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| （回目錄） | |
| 人權組織指控：中國刻意忽略 傷害藏語 | |
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人權組織在上週指控，中國政府忽略與積極損害藏語，這是要摧毀該區域獨特文化的一部分持續性努力。 「解放西藏運動」（Free Tibet Campaign）在報告中指出，學校強迫西藏小孩在很小的時候就學習普通話。此外，藏語還無法成為官方語言。 該組織的馬特‧維特克斯透過電郵發表聲明：「中國政府堅持要在西藏學校使用普通話，已經導致很多西藏小孩的基本識字能力遠遠落後中國的其他地區。」 「但是在西藏推行單一語言，是超越教育的政策，且是對西藏文化與認同的侮辱。」 「盛行的普通話已經滲透在西藏人民的公共生活中，這將自動給住在西藏的中國移民帶來好處。」 位於首都拉薩的政府，沒有接聽電話，無法對此事發表評論。 自從人民解放軍在1950年佔領西藏後，中國就用鐵腕治理該區。中國曾經承諾，會為這個貧窮的喜瑪拉雅山脈區域帶來經濟財富。 西藏運動人士警告，遊客與漢人移民將會侵蝕西藏獨特的佛教文化。 西藏原本應該享有高度自治權，包括對藏語的保護與支持。 但是「解放西藏運動」說，這些都沒有實現。該運動引述一位流亡西藏教師茲霖‧朵傑的呼籲，他要求把藏語列為區域的官方語言。 報告指出，寫上藏語的信封永遠送不到，越來越多的家長用普通話與孩子交談，因為他們的母語被邊緣化，會普通話才有優勢。 「不會普通話的西藏人，不太有機會找到薪水優渥的工作。」報告引述茲霖‧朵傑的話。 「接受藏語教育的人，在大學或者大專院校能不能獲得教職還是個問題。」 人權組織指出，藏語並不是唯一在中國境內面對危機的少數語言。 流亡的內蒙古人權資訊中心指出，內蒙古的蒙語使用日益令人擔心，街上的告示牌不是翻譯不好，就是完全翻譯錯誤。 以蒙古為例，政府在仔細考慮後，在去年年尾發表了一份反常的、非常誠實的報告。報告指出，該語言的使用正在減少，包括學習蒙語的小學生人數也大幅下滑。 官方網站指出：「政府應該對這個問題抱持更多關心，並在最快的時間內提出明確的計畫。」 （路透社） The Chinese government is neglecting and actively undermining the Tibetan language as part of continuing efforts to dilute the region's unique culture, a human rights group said on Thursday. Schools are forcing Tibetan children to learn China's national language, Mandarin, at a younger and younger age and are failing to support use of Tibetan in official fields, the Free Tibet Campaign said in a new report. "China's insistence on Chinese language in Tibetan schools has failed a generation of Tibetans who now lag behind the rest of China in terms of basic literacy," the group's Matt Whitticase said in an emailed statement. "But the one-language policy in Tibet goes beyond education; it is part of a more general assault on Tibetan culture and identity," he added. "The growing prevalence of the Chinese language in all spheres of Tibetan public life automatically advantages Chinese settlers over Tibetans ..." The government in Tibetan capital Lhasa did not answer calls seeking comment. China has ruled Tibet with an iron fist since People's Liberation Army troops occupied the region in 1950 and has vowed to bring economic prosperity to the poor Himalayan region. Tibetan activists have warned that tourism and migration by Han Chinese could swamp Buddhist Tibet's distinctive culture. Tibet is supposed to enjoy a high level of autonomy, which includes protection of and support for its language. But the Free Tibet Campaign said this was not happening, and quoted an exiled Tibetan teacher, Tsering Dorje, calling for the Tibetan language to be made the region's official language. Letters with addresses in Tibetan fail to get delivered, and parents are increasingly speaking to their children in Chinese, hoping to give them an edge in a society where their mother tongue is being marginalized, the report said. "Certainly there are few lucrative job prospects for Tibetans who have not been educated in Chinese," it quoted Tsering Dorje as saying. "Nor is it possible for a student educated in Tibetan to acquire professional qualifications at college or university." Tibetan is not the only minority language in China rights groups say is threatened. The exiled Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Centre says Mongolian usage in Inner Mongolia has also withered, and that many signs written in Mongolian are poorly translated, or just plain wrong. In Mongolian's case, even the government has weighed in, admitting in an unusually frank report late last year that the language's use had declined, including a huge drop in the number of primary school students being taught Mongolian. "The government must pay greater attention to these problems, and come up with specific measures as soon as possible," official government Web site www.nmgnews.com.cn reported. REUTERS |
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| （回目錄） | |
| 加拿大學校努力讓原民語言重生 | |
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在加拿大安大略省葛蘭河六部落（Six Nations）保護區裡，有一間灰暗、好似車庫般的大樓，伊森諾瓦‧雅各正準備讓幼稚園的小朋友回家。 雅各把學生們叫到門口去，她說：「Gao dehswe」。 另外又加了一句：「Gyahde:dih」，意思是：該走了。 學生們以肯定的語氣回答：「Ehes」。 沒有人說半句英文。 雅各說：「我剛剛用卡尤加（Cayuga）語和他們溝通。大部分的學生都能以卡尤加話回應我，所以還滿酷的。」 這間幼稚園裡的8位學生肩負保存卡尤加語的種子。六部落在加拿大東南部與美國東北部構成易洛魁聯盟（Iroquois Confederacy），卡尤加是其中一個部落。 從19世紀到近期，加拿大長期以來所推動的是國內人口同化，他們讓原住民孩童到寄宿學校就讀，學習加拿大社會的語言、文化、精神。 即便原住民同化政策在加拿大已經失敗，但是在1996年關門的最後一間寄宿學校，依然有效地阻礙原住民語言的發展與保存。 加拿大總理哈珀已承諾成立委員會調查這些學校，普遍認為此舉可能以發表道歉聲明收場，與澳洲對其原住民發表道歉聲明的情況類似。 加拿大政府表示，只有不到25％的加拿大原住民說自己民族的古老語言。70年代，約有376人會說卡尤加語，現在卻只有79人。 愛娃‧傑米森說：「會說這種語言的人都一一過世了，每年時間都會帶走其中一些人。」她從小就和家人學習卡尤加語，但是在學校裡不可以講卡尤加語。「沒有人可以對話，覺得很孤單。」 傑米森任教於Gaweni:yo高中，和雅各的幼稚園一樣，這所學校是卡尤加語環境營造計畫的一部分。於此同時，摩霍克語（Mohawk）也是實行原住民族語言復興計劃的主角之一。 她說：「學生們很能抓出這種語言的精隨，並且適應、活用它。」她的學校位於安大略首府多倫多西南方70哩處。 傑米森對母語卡尤加語的知識是無可取代的。Gaweni:yo，意是是「天籟般的文字」，該校以此命名，希望幫助減緩卡尤加語絕種的速度，讓年輕人成為流暢卡尤加語的繼承人。 最盡力學習者有固定用卡尤加語聊天的學習聚會，他們練習新單字，有些甚至讓卡尤加語成為家中主要溝通語言。 雅各現年24歲，她是從Gaweni:yo畢業的校友，她嘗試只以卡尤加語和同校畢業的男朋友對話。同時，她也常在晚上拜訪長輩，學習新單字。 卡尤加語環境營造計畫1986年就已上路，但今年是第一次加入幼稚園。多數就讀這所幼稚園的孩童都是Gaweni:yo校友，雅各鼓勵他們在家裡也說卡尤加語。 雖然在保護區內，主要語言仍是英語，雅各仍對每一分進步感到樂觀，她表示，這個語言正在重生。她說：「看到這些孩子慢慢追上來，是令人開心的事。」 語言的流失 離幼稚園不遠處，有一群成年人在社區中心擁擠的教室裡學習卡尤加語。其中，莎莉‧懷特是於18世紀時自卡尤加部落中分支出來的塞內加－卡尤加人後裔。 塞內加－卡尤加語與和卡尤加語相近，但該語言已被宣佈消失。六部落中，每年都必須有一個人到奧克拉荷馬州履行傳統儀式。 對此，懷特說：「要不是因為他，我不認為我們能保留我們的儀式。」她希望學會足夠的卡尤加語，以便可以教導丈夫與其他社區居民基本的卡尤加語。她說：「這種語言也快要絕種了，我們失去了很多。」 然而，搶救瀕臨死亡的語言需要投入大量經費，對多數的加拿大人而言，這樣的代價太不合理了。 兩年前開始執政的加拿大保守黨政府已刪去一筆10年的語言新生計劃預算，共計1億7千3百萬加幣，留下六部落的語言環境營造計畫拮据而行，學校職員不確定未來是否還有經費。 語言學家瑪莉安‧米森表示，任何一種語言的死亡都是一樁悲劇，她花了10年的時間研究六部落中卡尤加語的式微。 米森是加州大學聖塔芭芭拉分校的語言學家，她專精的領域是北美的原住民語言，她指出：「失去語言是毀滅性的失去認同。這是失去傳統遺產，等於抹煞該民族的智識及文化歷史。」 雖然卡尤加語仍有足夠的人以其為母語，能夠保留這種語言，但六部落仍透過影音紀錄卡尤加語。米森擔心一旦老一輩的人離開人世，這個活的語言將會像以前一樣，變成一個蒼白的影子。 「無論是卡尤加語或任何一種語言，都會讓你發現看世界的另一種方式。」米森以點出語言的文學本質，她說：「如果我們想要了解人類的心靈，那麼讓任何一種語言溜走都是極大的損失。」 （路透社） In a grey, shed-like building on the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve in southern Ontario, Esenogwas Jacobs is getting her kindergarten students ready to head home for the day. "Gao dehswe," Jacobs says, calling her students to the door. "Gyahde:dih," she adds, it's time to go. Her students answer with assertive "ehes." No one speaks a word of English. "I just use Cayuga with them," Jacobs said. "Mostly they can respond back in Cayuga, so it's pretty cool." The eight children of this kindergarten class carry on their shoulders the hopes for preserving the language of the Cayugas, one of the six nations that make up the Iroquois Confederacy of southeastern Canada and the northeastern United States. Since the 19th Century and until recently, Canada has pushed for the assimilation of its native population, sending aboriginal children to boarding schools where they were taught the language, culture and spirituality of Canadian society. While the effort to assimilate aboriginal people into Canadian culture failed, the schools, the last of which closed in 1996, were effective at stunting aboriginal languages. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has promised to set up a commission to look into the schools, which could lead to a statement of apology similar to one issued by Australia to its aboriginal people this week. Less than a quarter of aboriginal people in Canada use their ancestral tongue, the government says. The number of fluent Cayuga speakers has dropped from 376 in the 1970s to only 79 today. "The number of speakers, they're dying off all the time, like every year," said Elva Jamieson, who learned the language as a child from her family, but wasn't allowed to speak it at school. "It gets lonely when you don't have someone to talk to." Jamieson is a teacher at the Gaweni:yo High School, part of the same Cayuga language immersion program that also includes Jacobs' kindergarten class, as well as a parallel Mohawk language program. "I think the language speaks to their spirit," Jamieson said of the 35 pupils at the high school, located about 70 miles southwest of the Ontario capital Toronto. "They're able to grasp it and go with it." While the linguistic knowledge of native speakers like Jamieson is irreplaceable, Gaweni:yo -- which means "nice-sounding words" -- is helping to slow the erosion of the Cayuga language, and young people are becoming a viable population of fluent speakers. The most dedicated meet up regularly to chat in Cayuga and practice new words and some even use Cayuga as the primary language at home. Jacobs, 24, herself a graduate of Gaweni:yo, tries to speak only Cayuga with her boyfriend, another graduate, and she spends evenings visiting with elders to learn new words. The program has been running since 1986, but this is the first year that it has included a kindergarten class. Many of her young students are the children of fellow Gaweni:yo graduates and Jacobs encourages them to use Cayuga at home, too. While the dominant language on the reserve is still English, Jacobs is happy with the progress. The language is going through a rebirth, she said. "It feels good knowing these kids are coming up." LANGUAGE LOST Not far from Jacobs' kindergarten, a group of adults are also studying Cayuga in a crowded community centre classroom. One of them is Oklahoman Sally White, a descendant of the Seneca-Cayuga - a tribe that separated from the Cayuga of Six Nations in the 18th century. The Seneca-Cayuga spoke a similar dialect, but their language has now been declared extinct, which means a man from Six Nations must go to Oklahoma each year to perform their traditional ceremonies. "Without him, I don't think we would have (our ceremonies)," said White, who hopes to learn enough Cayuga to teach the basics to her husband and other members of their community. "It's just about gone. We're losing a lot." But saving dying languages costs money and for many Canadians the price of immersion programs such as the one at Six Nations may be too steep. Canada's Conservative government, elected two years ago, has cut a 10-year, C$173 million ($173 million) language revitalization program, leaving the immersion programs at Six Nations dangling by a thread. School officials do not know if there will be funding to continue past the current year. The death of the language would be a tragedy, according to linguist Marianne Mithun, who spent 10 years studying the decline of the Cayuga language at Six Nations. "The loss of language is a devastating loss of identity," said Mithun, a University of California Santa Barbara linguist who specializes in aboriginal languages in North America. "It is the disappearance of their heritage, a blacking out of their intellectual and cultural history." While Cayuga still has enough mother-tongue speakers to document how the language should be spoken, a process that is taking place on Six Nations through video and audio archives, Mithun worries that once all the elders die, the living language will only be a pale shadow of what it once was. "When you get to see a language like Cayuga, you just see other ways of looking at the world," said Mithun, commenting on the language's literal nature. "If we care about understanding the human mind, then we're really missing the boat if we let these languages slip." REUTERS |
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