Shows
Language Goes To SchoolWarlance Chee (Part 2): The Planting of the Language!In which we continue our conversation with Warlance Chee. Warlance is a Diné (Navajo) language and culture educator and co-founder of Saad K’idilyé, a Diné language nest in Albuquerque. Saad K’idilyé means “the planting of the language.” This unique language nest educates and enculturates children, prenatal to preschool, by surrounding them with rich cultural experiences in Diné bizaad, the Navajo language, in the big city, far from the Navajo Nation. In this second part of our conversation, Warlance addresses specific cultural activities practiced in the nest, Saad K’idilyé’s relationship to other indigenous language nests in North America, the...2024-10-0827 minLanguage Goes To SchoolWarlance Chee (Part 1): Fledging Speakers of Diné Bizaad from the Nest!Create in your mind an image of a parent bird feeding its babies mouth-to-mouth and you have an apt metaphor for the concept of a human language nest. In a language nest, adults who are fluent in a language that is experiencing a steep decline in the number first language speakers, surround the youngest speakers in the community with the language, all the while engaging these young speakers in culturally meaningful practices. Warlance Chee is a Navajo language and culture teacher and one of the founders of Saad K’idilyé, an urban language nest in Albuquerque, where babies—some even s...2024-10-0135 min