Language and Ethnic Identity of Minorities in Post-Soviet Russia: The Buryat Case Study

While the global ethnic revival, starting in the late 1960s, resulted in minorities' movements to maintain their ethnic identity closely connected with the revitalization of minority languages, the other ethnic identity pattern in relation to language can be identified from the perspective of a rarely discussed minority group-the Buryats. This article has found that within the Buryat minority group the assimilation strategy, widespread during the Soviet period, has been replaced by the integration strategy and a combination of strategies. In the latter case, linguistic integration is combined with the economic assimilation and marital separation. Two options have been identified regarding the language and identity link among Buryats. First, the native language is considered a salient feature of the Buryat ethnic identity, and it is actually used and maintained. However, more powerful is the trend to abandon the language as an irrelevant ethnocultural identity marker. In general, the native language has for Buryats a rather symbolic, unifying value and its abandoning does not affect the ethnic identity itself. Finally, the article explores external and internal determining factors, which have formed this identity pattern. As external factors we consider the ethnic and language policy of the Soviet Union, modernization, the Russian-dominated majority-minority configuration, and insufficient institutional support of the Buryat language restoration and development. The internal factor is the widespread attitude among the Buryats themselves consisting of a negative evaluation of the Buryat language and unwillingness to learn it and to transfer it to the next generations. The Buryat case shows that ethnic identity, in fact, can survive the loss of the indigenous group language, which has been sacrificed to the historical pressures of the last two centuries. It was the only possible ethnic identity pattern not only for the Buryat ethnic group, but also for many other minorities in Russia.     

A review of mentoring deaf and hard-of-hearing scholars

ABSTRACT

Diversification of the scientific workforce usually focuses on recruitment and retention of women and underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities but often overlooks deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HH) persons. Usually classified as a disability group, such persons are often members of their own sociocultural linguistic minority and deserve unique support. For them, access to technical and social information is often hindered by communication- and/or language-centered barriers, but securing and using communication access services is just a start. Critical aspects of training D/HH scientists as part of a diversified workforce necessitates: (a) educating hearing persons in cross-cultural dynamics pertaining to deafness, sign language, and Deaf culture; (b) ensuring access to formal and incidental information to support development of professional soft skills; and (c) understanding that institutional infrastructure change may be necessary to ensure success. Mentorship and training programs that implement these criteria are now creating a new generation of D/HH scientists.     

Ethnicity,Forms of Capital,and Educational Achievement

Bourdieu's cultural capital thesis is an attempt to explain how social class influences the transmission of educational inequality. In this article, the question of the extent to which various forms of capital also apply to ethnic minorities stands central. On the basis of Dutch and American research findings, a model is formulated and empirically tested with the aid of data from the Dutch Primary Education cohort study. Students from four ethnic groups are included: Dutch, Surinamese, Turkish, and Moroccan. The main variables are language and math test scores, socio-economic milieu, and a number of capital indicators, including financial resources, linguistic resources, parental reading behavior, and educational resources within the family. The results show no mediating effect of resources within the various ethnic groups. The findings also suggest that in research and practice it is relevant to not treat ethnic groups as one homogenous group, but to differentiate between the various groups.     

Designing deaf babies and the question of disability

This article explores the recent controversy surrounding a Deaf lesbian couple's deliberate attempt at finding a Deaf donor to increase their chances of having a d/Deaf baby. Many have criticized the Deaf couple for harming their child; Deaf advocates have responded that the couple's decision reflects a natural cultural desire. This article seeks to explore how the medical model of disability implicitly used on both sides of the debate has obscured important points. Once this controversy takes into consideration the social construction of disability, the ethical defense of seeking a deaf child gains further support. This leads to the ironic claim that seeking a deaf child could actually mitigate the conditions of disability within the family.     

少数民族儿童语言能力优势及双语教育对策

我国是一个多民族国家,民族语言丰富,但少数民族语言的生存状况濒危,民族语言文化保护迫在眉睫。我国少数民族儿童具有语言能力的优势,不仅掌握本民族的语言,还掌握其他少数民族语言和汉语,具有双语或多语能力。我们应当认识并挖掘少数民族儿童语言能力优势的潜在价值,采取多种教育措施,大力发展双语教育,切实做好民族语言文化的传承和发展。     

Reforming Lao teacher education to include females and ethnic minorities – exploring possibilities and constraints

This article explores possibilities and constraints for the inclusion of female and ethnic minority students in Lao education in order to provide education for all. Females and ethnic minorities have traditionally been disadvantaged in Lao education and reforms for the inclusion of these groups are therefore welcome. The article provides rich information about how teachers and students in four teacher training institutions in Lao PDR experience inclusionary reform. The results show that inclusion strategies benefit both female and ethnic minority students, but in different ways. Female students from the majority ethnic group generally benefitted from the allowance for individual learning, since this provided space for them to act outside of gendered expectations. Ethnic minority students, however, benefitted more from the opportunity to work in smaller group settings, since they could receive support from other students, especially in language, which often proved to be a constraint for students with a different first language from the language of instruction. Although there are positive developments regarding the inclusion of females and ethnic minorities, there is still need to further develop and strengthen these efforts in order to support the continued inclusion of disadvantaged groups in Lao society.     

Accuracy of Measurement in the Context of Mathematics National Curriculum Tests in England for Ethnic Minority Pupils and Pupils Who Speak English as an Additional Language

Research has suggested that inappropriate or misfitting response patterns may have detrimental effects on the quality and validity of measurement. It has been suggested that factors like language and ethnic background are related to the generation of misfitting response patterns, but the empirical research on this is rather poor. This research analyzes data from three testing cycles of the National Curriculum tests in mathematics in England using the Rasch model. It was found that pupils having English as an additional language and pupils belonging to ethnic minorities are significantly more likely to generate aberrant response patterns. However, within the groups of pupils belonging to ethnic minorities, those who speak English as an additional language are not significantly more likely to generate misfitting response patterns. This may indicate that the ethnic background effect is more significant than the effect of the first language spoken. The results suggest that pupils having English as an additional language and pupils belonging to ethnic minorities are mismeasured significantly more than the remainder of pupils by taking the mathematics National Curriculum tests. More research is needed to generalize the results to other subjects and contexts.     

新中国70年民族语言教育政策分析

本研究基于对新中国70年民族教育政策的数量统计和内容分析,从价值取向层面将我国民族语言教育政策的发展分为突出少数民族语言平等权利的探索奠基期(1949-1965年)、强调语言标准的规范形成期(1977-1999年)和注重多元并存的体系建设期(2000-2018年)三个主要阶段,具有始终维护和保障少数民族语言的平等权利、着力坚持民族语和国家通用语的共同发展、积极探索"民、汉、外"三语教学的协调发展等特征。在各时期民族语言教育政策的规范和引导下,我国民族语言教育逐步建立了从以民族语教育为主、汉语教育为辅的双轨制过渡到国家通用语教育与民族语教育并存、外语教育协调发展的语言教育多元体系。70年来我国民族语言教育政策取得了历史性成绩,但受限于我国多民族多语言和区域发展不平衡的现实条件,体制和机制上仍存在着不健全、不完善、不科学等诸多现实问题,亟待通过构建统筹协调的民族语言教育规划机制、完善科学联动的民族语言教育决策系统和建设规范有效的民族语言教育管理体系来加以改进和完善。     

民族地区中小学汉语教育的性质及汉语教育与民族语教育之间的关系

用区分第一和第二语言的主要标准衡量,汉语教育对于部分中国少数民族采说应视为一种第一语言教育。少数民族学习汉语,不仅是学习一种语言,也是学习一种先进文化。汉语教育和民族语教育都是为民族的繁荣发展服务的．只不过汉语教育重在发展而民族语教育则重在保护。就宏观整体和少数民族的根本利益而言,民族地区中小学汉语教育和民族语教育之间不存在任何矛盾;而两种语言教育在时间和空间环境方面存在的一些冲突,可以通过科学合理的安排妥善解决。     

当前少数民族双语教育研究中值得重视的几个问题

在当前的少数民族双语教育研究中,应该重视选择汉语语法研究中有特色的问题进行某一少数民族汉语语法习得的全面研究;重视选择汉语语法之外的有关汉语四项语言基本能力习得问题,就某一民族进行全面研究;重视少数民族聋人双语、三语教育问题研究;重视少数民族双语教育中双语和谐关系的细节研究。     

Ethnic Conflicts and Identity Construction in a European Context

"ethnicity". "othnie identity"and"ethnic conflicts"have been remaining a focus for research. In this article it will explain the understanding of ethnicity as well as the definition of ethnic groups and ethnic identity;illustrate the relationship between ethnlcity and ethnic conflict based on 4 kinds of examples;discuss 4 sorts of methods on minorities and display the aim and measures of EU identity construction.     

青海留学生教育中本地少数民族文化资源的开发利用

青海的对外汉语教学已逐渐发展起来,它有着自身的特色：独特的民族地域风情,灵活的教学方式等,但是也有各种不利因素的制约,存在着不少缺陷,如何化不利因素为有利因素是本文探讨的主旨。     

Access to higher education of 25 ethnic minorities in Yunnan Province,South Western China

The level of development of higher education (HE) is an important indicator to measure the development of the social economy and the civilization of a region or country. In this article, we compare the distribution of the freshmen of ethnic minorities (EMs) with the distribution of EMs over the population, based on a sample of 1 464 freshmen from 25 EMs of Yunnan Province in People’s Republic of China (PRC). Although this analysis shows that access to HE is equal for some categories of EM students, it still shows that access to HE is harder for these minorities in comparison with freshmen from Han (major ethnic group comprising of 92 % of the Chinese population) families.     

黑龙江世居少数民族文化传承的教育对策

黑龙江世居少数民族学校在民族文化传承、民族文化教育自觉、民族文化教育政策落实、制度保障、课程建设、教学、师资队伍、民族文化教育研究等方面存在不同程度的问题与不足,应采取明确民族文化教育的定位,创新民族教育制度,加强民族文化课程开发,综合利用民族文化教育的途径,坚持民族语言教学,加强民族文化课程师资队伍建设等教育对策以促进黑龙江世居少数民族文化传承。     

Language,education and ethnicity: Whose rights will prevail in an age of globalisation?

Education and ethnicity cannot be discussed without taking language into account. This paper will argue that any discussion of ethnic minorities cannot ignore the question of language, nor can any discussion of human rights ignore the question of language rights. Unfortunately, in today's globalised world, governments and minorities are faced with conflicting pressures: on the one hand, for the development and use of education in a global/international language; on the other for the use and development of mother tongue, local or indigenous languages in education. Language complexity and ethnic plurality were largely brought about as a result of the creation of nation–states, which were spread around the world as a result of European colonialism. European languages and formal education systems were used as a means of political and economic control. The legacy that was left by the colonial powers has complicated ethnic relations and has frequently led to conflict. While there is now greater recognition of the importance of language both for economic and educational development, as well as for human rights, the forces of globalisation are leading towards uniformity in the languages used, in culture and even in education. They are working against the development of language rights for smaller groups. We are witnessing a sharp decline in the number of languages spoken. Only those languages which are numerically, economically and politically strong are likely to survive. As a result many linguistic and ethnic groups are in danger of being further marginalised. This paper will illustrate this thesis both historically and from several contemporary societies, showing how certain policies have exacerbated ethnic conflict while others are seeking to promote harmony and reconciliation. Why this should be so will be explored.     

Community Cultural Wealth: Uyghurs,Social Networks,and Education

This article employs Yosso’s framework of ‘community cultural wealth’ to explore the ways in which educated Uyghurs, one of China’s 56 officially recognized ethnic groups, build on social networks like family and friends to improve their own social standing and contribute to the benefit of their communities. Through Yosso’s lens, ethnic minorities have their own cultural capital, which is distinct from the dominant group, and which can also be maximized to garner a successful status within society. This study undertook to discover: (a) In what ways do Uyghurs draw from their own community resources to navigate within a Mandarin Chinese-dominant education and economic system? (b) In what ways do Uyghurs support others within their own community for success? The article is based on ethnographic fieldwork collected within Xinjiang during the fall of 2013, interviews conducted with educated Uyghurs in Xinjiang and eastern China during multiple visits between the years of 2010-2013, and an analysis of interactive Uyghur language websites during the Spring of 2014.     

Blue listerine, parochialism, and ASL literacy

There are not many elements of human life that have had as significant an impact on our development as literacy. Literacy has certainly been, and remains, a crucial issue especially in Deaf Education and in the Deaf World. The traditional definition of literacy has been exclusively understood as reading and writing. However, this article is intended to provide a thoughtful and provocative commentary that supports adopting new directions and comprehensive definitions for understanding literacy, which includes both written and signed languages. By applying ideas from Deaf Studies and New Literacy Studies we will conduct a thorough exploration of the fundamental components of literacy and illuminate important political and practical applications related to Deaf Education.     

新疆少数民族双语教育模式及其语言使用问题

本文分析了新疆少数民族语言使用与发展状况和现行双语教育模式及目标设计,指出了新疆少数民族双语教育中存在的模式泛化和语言使用问题,认为双语教育的模式应体现双语教育目标,而双语教育的目标设计应以少数民族语言使用与发展状况为依据,才能满足不同民族对双语教育的需求。双语教学中民汉语言的使用应以教师和学生的汉语能力为依据,以实现双语教育目标为目的,实事求是地实现教学语言的逐渐过渡。     

发挥民族优势 开展留学生教育

近几年,随着留学生教育的深入以及世界文化多元化的需求,很多留学生在学习汉语之余,对我国丰富的民族文化和独具特色的民族语言产生了浓厚的兴趣。民族院校和民族地区院校如何抓住机遇,利用民族优势开展留学生教育,这是一个摆在民族院校和民族地区院校面前的重要课题。文章提出民族院校和民族地区院校应发挥自身优势,探索出一条适合自身发展的留学生教育的新思路。