Reflections on Reclamation

Abstract

Language reclamation is a decolonial approach to Indigenous language revitalization, one that identifies and responds to the core causes of community language shift, and that at all stages is embedded in community needs, wellbeing, and goals. Within a language reclamation framework, Indigenous community definitions of "language" - which are often very different from definitions used in language sciences - become the baseline for planning, doing, and assessing language work. In this lecture, I reflect upon my lived experiences as a Miami linguist long engaged in language reclamation, both in my community and also in academic fields such as Indigenous Studies and Linguistics, to consider how Indigenous language work in a variety of spaces can operate within a reclamation frame.