“You Are a Language Star” – Fill-in-the-blanks picture book for kids
You Are a Language Star is a fill-in-the-blanks picture book that allows you to add words from your language into the spaces. Following along, kids can practice some beginner words while also celebrating how exciting it is to be a part of another language community. The book is available to download as a PDF for free!
It can be expensive and time-consuming to create a new language resource, especially a children’s book. While the best resource is always going to be one that was created by and for a specific community, I created “You Are a Language Star” to add another option into the mix. The book is a fill-in-the-blanks story where you can add words from your own language into the rhyme scheme. Just like that, the story becomes your own! While “You Are a Language Star” may be helpful in practicing some basic words, the underlying goal of the story is to build pride in speaking your language. Every child should have pride in their language, because every language is important!
“Say it with Respect: A Journalists’ Guide” – Resource for reporters
“Say it with Respect: A Journalists’ Guide to Reporting on Indigenous & Minoritized Languages, Language Endangerment, and Language Revitalization” is a resource for journalists writing about Indigenous and minoritized languages, language endangerment, and language revitalization. This guide is written from the perspective of Indigenous Peoples and their allies, and incorporates the voices, knowledge, and experiences of Indigenous and minoritized language community members, scholars, and non-Indigenous linguists and scholars.
We appreciate the growing attention that the media is giving to language revitalization and related topics, but we have seen issues covered in ways that unintentionally cause harm. How? Reporting on these topics often falls into deficit narratives like:
“This ancient language with only five speakers who have few resources are trying to save their dying language and need help.”
This framing spreads false assumptions while obscuring the roots of the problem. So how does this resource help? The guide has three main sections centered around using respectful language when telling stories about language-related topics: red flags (disrespectful, avoid), yellow flags (use with caution) and green flags (respectful). Each flag has an explanation and – where appropriate – a suggested alternative.
