Negotiating Acceptance: A Sociocultural Analysis of Second Language Users’ Constructions of Speakerhood in Cherokee Nation Language Revitalization

Abstract

Language revitalization has the major goal of creating new speakers, and the approaches and ideologies employed in the journey toward this goal are multiple and diverse. This research project presents the experiences and perspectives of those who are acquiring Cherokee as a second language as they negotiate speakerhood in an endangered language community with an active population of individuals who acquired Cherokee as a first language in early childhood. The examination of these perspectives and experiences fills a critical gap in understanding how those who acquire an endangered, indigenous language negotiate acceptance as speakers within their communities. The endangered language context creates high stakes for this negotiation because in Cherokee communities, as in many other indigenous language communities, language is firmly ensconced as a foundational element of peoplehood. L2 users’ perceptions of an idealized link between speakerhood and peoplehood and creates an atmosphere where social power and cultural capital can influence language use. This atmosphere serves to limit access to language learning and use in multiple ways. The addition of digital domains as avenues for revitalization provides those who are acquiring Cherokee as a second language a more neutral space for language use and to actively negotiate their place as language users. This research illustrates that L2 users must be supported to insure a positive future for Cherokee Nation revitalization initiatives.