April 2017
·
143 Reads
·
4 Citations
Journal of American Indian Education
We examine language revitalization as it unfolds in Tsalagi Dideloquasdi, a Cherokee immersion school in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Using qualitative and linguistic data collected over two years, we explore how students' meaning-making practices are influenced by macro-, meso-, and microlevel sociolinguistic dimensions. We find that Tsalagi Dideloquasdi is a quintessential translanguaging space, shaped by multiple competencies shared by students, teachers, and parents, as well as the fluid bilinguality characteristic of language-contact situations. We argue Cherokee language revitalization is a process of renewal, not a return to idealized notions of “speakerhood” and proficiency. Moreover, immersion students are agents of linguistic transformation as Cherokee is reinstated in traditional sociolinguistic domains, as well as in new domains traditionally devoid of the language, such as schools.