Knowing and remembering: Rethinking lexical recall as a measure of proficiency in endangered language communities
This paper problematizes the assessment of speakers’ proficiency in endangered language communities. We focus in particular on processes of lexical production and elicitation as proxies for full proficiency assessment. Among linguists, it is standard to assess a speaker’s knowledge of specific lexic...
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ftunivhawaiimano:oai:scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu:10125/74676 2024-09-15T18:01:59+00:00 Knowing and remembering: Rethinking lexical recall as a measure of proficiency in endangered language communities Daria Boltokova Jessica Kantarovich Lenore Grenoble Maria Pupynina 2022-07 Article 23 application/pdf https://hdl.handle.net/10125/74676 eng eng University of Hawaii Press Boltokova, Daria, Jessica Kantarovich, Lenore Grenoble, Maria Pupynina. 2022. Knowing and remembering: Rethinking lexical recall as a measure of proficiency in endangered language communities. Language Documentation & Conservation 16: 145-167. 1934-5275 https://hdl.handle.net/10125/74676 Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Text 2022 ftunivhawaiimano 2024-07-31T01:48:16Z This paper problematizes the assessment of speakers’ proficiency in endangered language communities. We focus in particular on processes of lexical production and elicitation as proxies for full proficiency assessment. Among linguists, it is standard to assess a speaker’s knowledge of specific lexical items in order to set a baseline for further data collection and research. Yet, as we argue in this paper, such tests can give the false impression that speakers do not know their language, since such tests do not distinguish between what speakers can recall in a particular moment and what they do not know because they did not acquire it. The endangered language context in particular calls for a more fine-tuned interpretation of lexical knowledge, given the high degree of idiolectal variation and lack of a community-based standard language. Drawing on fieldwork with Chukchi and Even Indigenous communities in northeastern Russia, we analyze lexical items that speakers claim to not remember. We then distinguish different reasons that are given for not remembering and consider their implications for speakers’ proficiency. Finally, we conclude with two recommendations for improving elicitation and language assessment tests. National Foreign Language Resource Center Text Chukchi ScholarSpace at University of Hawaii at Manoa |
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Open Polar |
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ScholarSpace at University of Hawaii at Manoa |
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ftunivhawaiimano |
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English |
description |
This paper problematizes the assessment of speakers’ proficiency in endangered language communities. We focus in particular on processes of lexical production and elicitation as proxies for full proficiency assessment. Among linguists, it is standard to assess a speaker’s knowledge of specific lexical items in order to set a baseline for further data collection and research. Yet, as we argue in this paper, such tests can give the false impression that speakers do not know their language, since such tests do not distinguish between what speakers can recall in a particular moment and what they do not know because they did not acquire it. The endangered language context in particular calls for a more fine-tuned interpretation of lexical knowledge, given the high degree of idiolectal variation and lack of a community-based standard language. Drawing on fieldwork with Chukchi and Even Indigenous communities in northeastern Russia, we analyze lexical items that speakers claim to not remember. We then distinguish different reasons that are given for not remembering and consider their implications for speakers’ proficiency. Finally, we conclude with two recommendations for improving elicitation and language assessment tests. National Foreign Language Resource Center |
format |
Text |
author |
Daria Boltokova Jessica Kantarovich Lenore Grenoble Maria Pupynina |
spellingShingle |
Daria Boltokova Jessica Kantarovich Lenore Grenoble Maria Pupynina Knowing and remembering: Rethinking lexical recall as a measure of proficiency in endangered language communities |
author_facet |
Daria Boltokova Jessica Kantarovich Lenore Grenoble Maria Pupynina |
author_sort |
Daria Boltokova |
title |
Knowing and remembering: Rethinking lexical recall as a measure of proficiency in endangered language communities |
title_short |
Knowing and remembering: Rethinking lexical recall as a measure of proficiency in endangered language communities |
title_full |
Knowing and remembering: Rethinking lexical recall as a measure of proficiency in endangered language communities |
title_fullStr |
Knowing and remembering: Rethinking lexical recall as a measure of proficiency in endangered language communities |
title_full_unstemmed |
Knowing and remembering: Rethinking lexical recall as a measure of proficiency in endangered language communities |
title_sort |
knowing and remembering: rethinking lexical recall as a measure of proficiency in endangered language communities |
publisher |
University of Hawaii Press |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/10125/74676 |
genre |
Chukchi |
genre_facet |
Chukchi |
op_relation |
Boltokova, Daria, Jessica Kantarovich, Lenore Grenoble, Maria Pupynina. 2022. Knowing and remembering: Rethinking lexical recall as a measure of proficiency in endangered language communities. Language Documentation & Conservation 16: 145-167. 1934-5275 https://hdl.handle.net/10125/74676 |
op_rights |
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International |
_version_ |
1810439059275776000 |