评论
打印
Dene Elder Paul Disain said, "Our language and culture is the window through which we see the world."
老迪恩·保罗·迪森曾经说过：“我们的语言和文化是我们看世界的窗户。”
And on Turtle Island, what is now known as North America, there're so many unique and wonderful ways to see the world.
在海龟岛，也就是现在被称为北美洲的地方，有很多独特且美好的观察世界的方式。
As a person of Indigenous heritage, I'm interested in learning Anishinaabemowin, which is my heritage language,
作为土著遗产的一员，我对学习我的遗产语言，阿尼什纳比语很感兴趣，
because it lets me see the world through that window.
因为它就是我看世界的窗户。
It lets me connect with my family, my ancestors, my community, my culture.
它将我与我的家庭，我的祖先，我的社区和我的文化联系起来。
And lets me think about how I can pass that on to future generations.
它也让我思考该如何将它传递给后代。
As a linguist, I'm interested in how language functions generally.
作为一位语言学家，我对语言的整体作用原理很感兴趣。
I can look at phonetics and phonology -- speech sounds.
我可以研究语音学和音韵学--还有语音。
I can look at morphology, or the structure of words.
我可以研究形态学或是单词的结构。
I can look at syntax, which is the structure of sentences and phrases,
我可以研究句法规则，也就是句子和短语的结构，
to learn about how humans store language in our brains and how we use it to communicate with one another.
从而了解人类怎样将语言存储在我们的大脑中，以及我们是怎样使用语言来和彼此沟通交流的。
For example, Anishinaabemowin, like most Indigenous languages, is what's called polysynthetic,
比如说，阿尼什纳比语，就像大多数土著语一样，被称为多式综合语，
which means that there are very, very long words, composed of little tiny pieces called morphemes.
意思是，有些很长很长的单词是由简短的词素组成的。
So I can say, in Anishinaabemowin, "niwiisin," "I eat," which is one word.
所以我可以用阿尼什纳比语说“niwiisin”，意思是“我在吃东西”，这是一个词。
I can say "nimino-wiisin," "I eat well," which is still one word.
我可以说“nimino-wiisin”，意思是“我吃得很好”，这也是一个词。
I can say "nimino-naawakwe-wiisin," "I eat a good lunch," which is how many words in English?
我可以说“nimino-naawakwe-wiisin”，意思是“我午餐吃得很好”，这在英语中要用多少个单词？
Five words in English, a single word in Anishinaabemowin.
五个，在阿尼什纳比语中只需要一个词来代替。
Now, I've got a bit of a quiz for you. In a one-word answer, what color is that slide? Green.
现在，我们来做个小测试。用一个词来回答，那张幻灯片是什么颜色的？绿色。
What color is that slide? Green.
那张幻灯片是什么颜色的？绿色。
What color is that slide? Blue.
那张幻灯片是什么颜色的？蓝色。
And what color is that slide?
那张幻灯片是什么颜色的？
Not trick questions, I promise. For you as English speakers, you saw two green slides and two blue slides.
这不是脑筋急转弯，我保证。对于你们说英语的人来说，你们看到了两张绿色幻灯片，两张蓝色幻灯片。
But the way that we categorize colors varies across languages,
但是在不同语言中，我们给颜色分类的方式是不一样的，
so if you had been Russian speakers, you would have seen two slides that were different shades of green,
所以如果你说俄语，你会看到两张有着深浅不同的绿色的幻灯片，
one that was "goluboy," which is light blue, one that is "siniy," dark blue.
还有一种是“goluboy”，也就是浅蓝色，另一种是“siniy”，也就是深蓝色。
And those are seen as different colors. If you were speakers of Anishinaabemowin,
它们被看作是不同的颜色。如果你是说阿尼什纳比语的人，
you would have seen slides that were Ozhaawashkwaa or Ozhaawashkozi, which means either green or blue.
你会看到这些幻灯片是“Ozhaawashkwaa”，或者是“Ozhaawashkozi”的，意思是绿色或蓝色。
It's not that speakers don't see the colors, it's that the way they categorize them and the way that they understand shades is different.
这并不是说那些人没有看到这些颜色的区别，而是说他们给颜色分类和理解颜色深浅的方式是不同的。
At the same time, there are universals in the ways that humans categorize color,
同时，人类给颜色分类的方式存在一些通用原则，
and that tells us about how human brains understand and express what they're seeing.
这些原则告诉我们人类大脑如何理解和表达他们所看到的事物。
Anishinaabemowin does another wonderful thing, which is animate, inanimate marking on all words.
阿尼什纳比语还有一个奇妙之处，那就是，每个词都存在有生命或无生命的标志。
So it's not unlike how French and Spanish mark all words as either masculine or feminine.
所以有点类似法语或者西语，会给所有词标记阴阳性。
Anishinaabemowin and other Algonquian languages mark all words as either animate or inanimate.
阿尼什纳比语和其他阿尔贡金语会把所有词标记为有生命或者无生命。
The things that you would think to be animate are animate, things that have a pulse: people, animals, growing plants.
那些你认为是有生命的事物就是有生命的词，比如那些有活力的事物：人类，动物还有生长的植物。
But there are other things that are animate that you might not guess, like rocks.
但是也有其它一些有生命的词你可能猜不到，比如说石头。
Rocks are marked as animate, and that tells us really interesting things about grammar,
石头在阿尼什纳比语中是有生命的词，这些体现了语法的有趣之处，
and it also tells us really interesting things about how Anishinaabemowin speakers relate to and understand the world around them.
也体现了说阿尼什纳比语的人是怎样联系和理解世界的。
Now, the sad part of that is that Indigenous languages are in danger.
然而令人遗憾的是，土著语言正面临即将消失的处境。
Indigenous languages that posses so much knowledge of culture, of history,
土著语言蕴含了太多关于文化、历史、
of ways to relate to one another, of ways to relate to our environment.
人们如何与彼此联系，以及与环境联系的知识。
Having been on this land since time immemorial, these languages have developed here
土著语言自古以来就存在于这片土地上，这些语言在这里发展，
and they contain priceless environmental knowledge that helps us relate well to the land on which we live.
同时也承载了许多极其珍贵的有关环境的知识。这些知识帮助我们与脚下的土地建立了联系。
But they are, in fact, in danger.
然而事实上，这些语言的处境很危险。
The vast majority of Indigenous languages in North America are considered endangered, and those that are not endangered are vulnerable.
北美洲大部分土著语言都被认为是濒危语言，而即便是那些不濒危的语言，也是极其脆弱的。
That is by design. In our laws, in our policies, in our houses of governance,
不过，这样的现状是人们蓄意为之。我们的法律、政策以及政府工作中，
there have been stated attempts to eliminate Indigenous languages and cultures in this country.
存在着一些使土著语言和文化在这个国家消失的企图。
Duncan Campbell Scott was one of the architects of the residential school system.
邓肯·坎贝尔·斯科特是寄宿学校系统的一名创造者。
On tabling a bill that required mandatory residential school attendance for Indigenous children in 1920,
在1920年提出的一项要求土著儿童必须在寄宿学校上学的法案中，
he said, "I want to get rid of the Indian problem.
他直言不讳：“我想要摆脱印第安问题。
Our objective is to continue until there is not a single Indian in Canada that has not been absorbed into the body politic
我们要继续推进这个目标，直到加拿大所有印第安人都被这个国家的政体所吸收，
and there is no Indian question, and no Indian Department; that is the whole object of this Bill."
直到不存在印第安问题和印第安分部。这就是这项提案的全部目标。”
The atrocities that occurred in residential schools were documented.
在寄宿学校发生的恶劣行为被记录了下来。
In 1907, P.H. Bryce, who was a doctor and an expert in tuberculosis, published a report that found that in some schools,
在1907年，P.H.·布莱斯，一位医生兼结核病专家，发布了一则报告，他发现在一些学校，
25 percent of children had died from tuberculosis epidemics created by the conditions in the schools.
25%的孩子死于因学校卫生条件差而引发的肺结核传染病。
In other schools, up to 75 percent of children had died.
而在其它学校，儿童死亡率高达75%。
He was defunded by federal government for his findings, forced into retirement in 1921, and in 1922, published his findings widely.
由于这一发现，联邦政府撤回了给予他的研究资金，他也被迫在1921年退休，1922年，他又广泛发布了他的发现。
And through that time, Indigenous children were taken from their homes, taken from their communities
而这一次，土著儿童被从他们的家里和社区带走，
and forced into church-run residential schools where they suffered,
并被迫送进教堂运营的寄宿学校。
in many cases, serious emotional, physical and sexual abuse, and in all cases, cultural abuse,
在那里，许多儿童遭受了严重的情感和身体上的痛苦、性虐待，以及文化虐待。
as these schools were designed to eliminate Indigenous language and culture.
因为这些学校就是为了消除土著语言和文化而创建的。
The last residential school closed in 1996.
最后一个寄宿学校于1996年关闭。
Until that time, 150,000 children or more attended residential schools at 139 institutions across the country.
直到那时，已有至少15万名儿童被送入了遍布全国的139所寄宿学校。
In 2007, the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement came into effect.
在2007年，《印第安寄宿学校和解协议》正式生效。
It's the largest class action lawsuit in Canadian history.
这是加拿大历史上最大的集体诉讼。
It set aside 60 million dollars for the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
该协议拨款六千万美元，用于建立“加拿大真相与和解委员会”（TRC）。
The TRC gifted us with the ability to hear survivor stories, to hear impacts on communities and families
TRC让我们得以倾听幸存者的故事，去倾听那些对于家庭和社会所造成的影响，
and to gain access to research that explored the full effect of residential schools on Indigenous communities and on Canada as a whole.
并展开相关的调查研究，以探寻寄宿学校对于土著社会乃至整个加拿大的整体影响。
The TRC found that residential schools constituted what's called cultural genocide.
TRC发现寄宿学校设立了所谓的文化种族灭绝计划。
They state that, "Physical genocide is the mass killing of the members of a targeted group,
他们声称：“肉体上的种族灭绝是指屠杀一个既定组群的成员；
biological genocide is the destruction of that group's reproductive capacity.
生物学上的种族灭绝是指摧毁一个组群的繁殖能力。
And cultural genocide is the destruction of those structures and practices that allow the group to continue as a group."
而文化上的种族灭绝是指摧毁那些可以让组群被称为一个组群的结构和实践。”
The stated goals of Duncan Campbell Scott.
邓肯·坎贝尔·斯科特所谓的目标，
So they find that it's cultural genocide, although as children's author and a great speaker David Bouchard points out,
实际上就是文化种族灭绝。即使是作为儿童读物作者兼伟大演讲家的大卫·布沙尔也指出：
when you build a building, and you build a cemetery next to that building,
“当你建一栋楼时，同时在楼的旁边建了一个墓地，
because you know the people going into that building are going to die, what do you call that?
因为你知道那些住进大楼里的人终将死去，你把这种做法称做什么？”
The TRC also gifted us with 94 calls to action, beacons that can lead the way forward as we work to reconciliation.
TRC也赋予了我们94条采取行动的呼吁，它们像灯塔一样照亮了我们为和解而努力奋斗的路途。
Several of those pertain directly to language and culture.
其中一些呼吁直接适用于语言和文化。
The TRC calls us to ensure adequate, funded education, including language and culture.
TRC呼吁我们确保能够实现充分和长期的教育，包括语言和文化方面。
To acknowledge Indigenous rights, including language rights.
承认土著民族的权利，包括语言的权利。
To create an Aboriginal Languages Act aimed at acknowledging and preserving Indigenous languages, with attached funding.
创立一个土著语言法案，旨在承认和保护土著语言，并提供支持资金。
To create a position for an Aboriginal Languages Commissioner and to develop postsecondary language programs
为“土著语言会委员”创建一个合理地位；发展高等教育的语言项目；
as well as to reclaim place names that have been changed through the course of colonization.
以及更改那些在殖民化历程中被改变了的地名。
At the same time as the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement came into effect,
在印第安寄宿学校和解协议生效的同时，
the United Nations adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People in 2007.
在2007年，联合国通过了《联合国土著人民权利宣言》。
It states that Indigenous people have the right to establish and control their own education systems and institutions
该宣言确立了土著人民可以自行发展并控制其教育系统和机构的权利，
providing education in their own languages, in a manner appropriate to their cultural methods of teaching and learning.
并通过适当的符合其文化惯例的教学方式，用自己的语言开展教育。
In 2007, when that was brought into effect, four countries voted against it.
在2007年，当这项权利宣言开始生效时，有四个国家投票表示反对。
They were the United States, New Zealand, Australia and Canada.
分别是美国、新西兰、澳大利亚，还有加拿大。
Canada adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People in 2010.
加拿大政府在2010年才承认了《联合国土著人民权利宣言》。
And in 2015, the government promised to bring it into effect.
在2015年，该政府承诺宣言正式生效。
So how are we collectively going to respond? Here's the situation that we're in.
那么我们应该如何共同回应现状呢？这是我们现在的处境。
Of the 60 currently spoken Indigenous languages in Canada, all but six are considered endangered by the United Nations.
在加拿大目前的60种土著语言中，除了六种，其余语言都被联合国认定为濒危语言。
So, the six that aren't are Cree, Anishinaabemowin, Stoney, Mi'kmaq, Dene and Inuktitut. And that sounds really dire.
那六种语言分别为克里语、阿尼什纳比语、斯通尼语、米克马赫语、甸尼语和因纽特语。
But if you go on to the Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger through the UNESCO website,
这听起来很可怕，但如果你去联合国教科文组织的网站上看一看世界濒危语言的分布地图，
you'll see a little "r" right next to that language right there. That language is Mi'kmaq.
你会在这些语言的右边发现一个小“r”。这种语言就是米克马赫语。
Mi'kmaq has undergone significant revitalization because of the adoption of a self-government agreement
米克马赫语经历了伟大的复兴，因为它签署了一份自治同意书，
that led to culture and language-based education, and now there are Mi'kmaq children who have Mi'kmaq as their first language.
可以让其拥有以自身文化和语言为基础的教育，现在米克马赫族的孩子们以米克马赫语为其母语。
There's so much that we can do.
我们能做的事有很多。
These children are students in the Mnidoo Mnising Anishinabek Kinoomaage, an immersion school on Manitoulin island, where they learn in Anishinaabemowin.
这些孩子们是马尼图林群岛上一所名为“Mnidoo Mnising Anishinabek Kinoomaage”的沉浸式学校的学生，在那里他们可以学到阿尼什纳比语。
They arrived at school in junior kindergarten speaking very little, if any, Anishinaabemowin.
他们上幼儿园中班的时候就入学了，那时候他们几乎完全不会说阿尼什纳比语。
And now, in grade three and grade four, they're testing at intermediate and fluent levels.
现在，他们升入小学三、四年级了，他们的测试水平已经达到了中级或者流利的水平。
At the same time, they have beautifully high self-esteem.
同时，他们有非常强的自尊心。
They are proud to be Anishinaabe people, and they have strong learning skills.
他们对自己是阿尼什纳比人感到骄傲，而且他们的学习能力很强。
Not all education has to be formal education either.
当然，并不是所有的教育都要那么正式。
In our local community, we have the Kingston Indigenous Language Nest.
在当地的社区，我们有“金士顿土著语言安乐窝”。
KILN is an organization now, but it started six years ago with passionate community members gathered around an elder's kitchen table.
现在已经是一个组织机构了，但它却是6年前由热心的社区居民围坐在一个长者家的餐桌前创立的。
Since then, we have created weekend learning experiences aimed at multigenerational learning,
从那时起，我们就开始了以多世代学习为目标的周末学习计划，
where we focus on passing language and culture on to children.
专注于将语言和文化传递给我们的孩子们。
We use traditional games, songs, foods and activities to do that.
我们利用传统游戏、歌曲、食物和活动来达成目的。
We have classes at both the beginner and intermediate levels offered right here.
我们还在这里开设了初级和中级的课程。
We've partnered with school boards and libraries to have resources and language in place in formal education.
我们与学校校董会和图书馆展开合作，旨在让学生们能够拥有正规的学习资源和语言环境。
The possibilities are just endless, and I'm so grateful for the work that has been done
可能性是无穷无尽的，而我也非常感激正在进行的这些工作，
to allow me to pass language and culture on to my son and to other children within our community.
让我可以把语言和文化传递给我的儿子，还有我们社区里其他的孩子们。
We've developed a strong, beautiful, vibrant community as well, as a result of this shared effort.
我们也创建了一个团结、美丽又充满活力的社区，这是大家共同努力的结果。
So what do we need moving forward? First of all, we need policy.
那么接下来要做什么呢？首先，我们需要政策支持。
We need enacted policy with attached funding that will ensure that Indigenous language is incorporated meaningfully into education, both on and off reserve.
我们需要确立一个可以有一定资金支持，以确保我们的土著语言以有意义的方式被纳入教育体系中的政策，无论是在保护区内还是保护区外。
On reserve, education is funded at significantly lower levels than it is off reserve.
在保护区内的教育资助应该大幅度低于保护区外的资助。
And off reserve, Indigenous language education is often neglected,
在保护区外，土著语言教育经常被忽视，
because people assume that Indigenous people are not present in provincial schools,
因为人们认为，土著人民不会出现在省区的学校，
when actually, around 70 percent of Indigenous people in Canada today live off reserve.
但事实上，如今在加拿大，约有70%的土著人是生活在保护区外的。
Those children have equal right to access their language and culture.
那些儿童同样享有接受自己语言和文化教育的平等权利。
Beyond policy, we need support. And that doesn't just mean financial support.
除政策外，我们也需要支持。这不仅仅指的是金融方面的支持。
We need space where we can carry out activities, classes and interaction with nonindigenous populations as well.
我们需要可以开展活动、上课，还有与非土著人口互动的空间。
We need support that looks like people wanting to learn the language.
我们需要人们看起来是想要学习土著语言的那种支持。
We need support where people talk about why these languages are important. And to achieve that, we need education.
我们需要人们可以讨论为什么这些语言很重要的那种支持。为了达成这些，我们需要教育。
We need access to immersion education primarily,
我们最需要的是沉浸式教育，
as that is most certainly the most effective way to ensure the transmission of Indigenous languages.
因为我们可以确定，这是能确保土著语言传播的最有效途径。
But we also need education in provincial schools, we need education for the nonindigenous populations
但是我们也需要在省区学校开展教育，我们需要开展面向那些非土著人口的教育，
so that we can come to a better mutual understanding and move forward in a better way together.
这样我们才能更好地彼此理解，更好地携手同行。
I have this quote hanging in a framed picture on my office wall.
我把这句引言贴在了我办公室墙上的一幅画上。
It was a gift from a settler ally student that I taught a few years ago,
这是我以前教过的一名移民学生支持者送我的礼物。
and it reminds me every day that we can achieve great things if we work together.
它每天都在提醒我，如果我们彼此合作，就可以获得伟大的胜利。
But if we're going to talk about reconciliation, we need to acknowledge that
但是如果谈到和解的话，我们需要认识到，
a reconciliation that does not result in the survivance and continuation of Indigenous languages and cultures is no reconciliation at all.
和解如果没有使土著语言和文化得以幸存和发展的话，那它根本不叫和解。
It is assimilation, and it shouldn't be acceptable to any of us.
那叫做同化，而且不应该被我们中的任何人所接受。
But what we can do is look to the calls to action, we can look to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People
但是我们呼吁人们付出行动，我们可以依靠《联合国土著人民权利宣言》，
and we can come to a mutual understanding that what we have,
我们也可以相互理解我们现有的，
in terms of linguistic and cultural heritage for Indigenous people in this country, is worth saving.
这个国家的土著人民在语言学和文化方面的遗产是值得保存的。
Based on that, we can step forward, together, to ensure that Indigenous languages are passed on beyond 2050,
以此为基础，我们可以一起向前迈进，我们要确保土著语言传承下去，不只是到2050年，
beyond the next generation, into the next seven generations. Miigwech. Niawen'kó:wa. Thank you.
不只是到下一代，而是往后的世世代代。Miigwech。Niawen'kó:wa。谢谢！
