The Future of Education

Adult learners play a decisive role in whether endangered languages survive, because it is adult learners who can most quickly break the cycle of decline and disuse, and who have successfully saved languages from extinction [1, 3, 6, 9, 10]. Online learning is rapidly becoming the most viable medium for teaching many languages whose speakers are geographically scattered, or who have limited access to universities [12]. The Acculturation Theory of Language Acquisition posits that acquisition is more complete and authentic in learners whose motivation is integrative than in those who have instrumental motivations [2, 5, 13]. This pilot study of adult, online learners of Dakhóta uses questionnaires and video artifacts to examine participants’ acquisition of pragmatic features, and how their acquisition relates to their motivation, and to their identity. Since acquisition of pragmatic and cultural features is integral to its survival and that of the speaker culture [4, 7, 8, 11], this study will guide teachers of mixed adult classes in preparing appropriate curriculum to prevent loss of unique cultural features of the target language.

Keywords: Endangered languages, indigenous, pragmatics, language teaching, motivation.

References:
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