Who Speaks Wukchumni

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San Joaquin Delta College *

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Anthropology

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Oct 30, 2023

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Uploaded by MagistratePorpoise1013

Jamie Nelmida Summerfield Anthropology 4 Intro to Linguistics 50661 July 10, 2023 Reflection Paper: Who Speaks Wukchumni? This was a very touching documentary that shines light on the importance of preserving the Wukchumni language. It gave a story of Marie Wilcox, a member of the Wukchumni tribe as she worked on a dictionary to revitalize her endangered language. Marie felt a personal connection to the language and she had a deep understanding of the importance of preserving it for future generations. She wanted to teach her daughter to pronounce the words correctly, and successfully taught her grandson because he was able to have conversations with her in Wukchumni. The documentary sheds light on the importance of preserving a language that is endangered and dying. The documentary had ended with with letting the audience know that the dictionary that Marie wrote was being used by the Wukchumni tribe and is used for weekly language classes. In my opinion, when a language becomes endangered and faces the risk of becoming extinct, the language loss impacts not only the speakers, but also the broader community and society. As fewer individuals speak the endangered language communication within the community becomes limited, cultural practices and traditions are compromised, and valuable knowledge and wisdom encoded in the language are lost. The loss of a language is more than just the loss of words and grammar, when a language disappears an entire worldview, cultural identity, and heritage goes with it. Languages carry invaluable cultural knowledge, folklore, oral traditions, songs, and literature that offer their unique perspectives on the world. The collective memory and historical legacy of a community are intimately tied to their language. Losing language means losing the heart of our cultural identity. Language endangerment occurs because of many various factors, including political agendas, social and economic influences. Our nation's history includes colonization, and language dominance that tried to eradicate Native American and other languages because American English or Standard English spoken by the class higher on the socioeconomic ladder. Socioeconomic pressures, migration, and educational policies that promote English as dominant languages further accelerate the decline of endangered languages. Reflecting on my own family history, and how my parents' parents did not pass down the language and culture to their children. I can partially understand, my mother use to tell us that when she was growing up, her parents were field workers. She and her siblings were made fun of for looking Mexican, dressing Mexican, and bringing homemade tortillas and burritos for lunch. Like the Jennifer in the documentary, my mom never spoke anything but English to us. I think as she was born here and acclimated to the school system and life in the United states, she did not want to stand out as different. My father's story

was similar. He was born here as well, his mom was fluent in Illocano and Tagalog, and he said when my grandmother spoke to them, she allowed them to answer in English, losing the language. My father was extremely proud to be an American, especially being first generation born here. My father did not teach me the language or the culture. He would just tell me how proud we should be that we were born here. Marie Wilcox's story serves as a powerful reminder of the profound value of language and the impact of language loss on individuals and communities. As she started her journey to document her Wukchumni lange, she not only preserved her own heritage but also opened a door for future generations to reconnect with their roots. Marie Wilcox's story inspires us to recognize the importance of endangered languages and the importance to protect and revitalize them. By acknowledging the value of endangered languages, we can shape our perspectives and opinions to actively support language documentation, revitalization, and the celebration of linguistic diversity.

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