[eBook] [PDF] For Recognizing Indigenous Languages 1st Edition By Nicholas Limerick

[eBook] [PDF] For Recognizing Indigenous Languages 1st Edition By Nicholas Limerick

What happens when a country makes historically oppressed languages official? What changes when bilingual education leaders get to organize schools from high-level government offices? In Ecuador, the intercultural bilingual school system has been a key example of Indigenous education in the Americas. Since 1988, Indigenous groups in Ecuador have managed a second national school system that includes teaching Indigenous languages.

Based on over two years of research in Ecuador’s Ministry of Education, schools, conferences, and families, Recognizing Indigenous Languages explores how government workers handle language and education policies in times of inclusivity and multiculturalism. The book shows that bilingual education and Indigenous language programs are built on the idea that Indigenous cultural and language practices are equal to those of other Ecuadorians.

Responsibilities like creating a standard form of the Kichwa language, translating laws into Kichwa, and teaching Indigenous languages in schools have given these languages more power and visibility. However, running a school system and making Kichwa a government-recognized language has also created challenges. These challenges sometimes work against the goals of encouraging people to speak and write Kichwa and supporting fully independent Indigenous education.