A Language in Danger of Extinction: Linguistic Revitalisation Efforts in the Case of Mapudungun in Chile

The Mapuche are the largest indigenous community in Chile and they speak their own language, Mapudungun. Unfortunately, over the course of history, the Mapuche have experienced many hardships, especially in relation to the Chilean state. One of these hardships is the gradual loss of their language in favour of Spanish. This development can be seen through the fact that younger generations stop to speak the language and that Spanish is taking over the traditional use of Mapudungun in family affairs and ceremonial situations. Therefore, and in order to compensate for the historical debt that the Chilean state has with the Mapuche, the government implemented a Bilingual Intercultural Education Programme in 1996. Additionally, this is a good example of a method of revitalisation, which could help reverse the existing language shift. However, the programme in its current state has a lot of deficiencies, making it unsuccessful in achieving its objective. Consequently, this thesis will...Show moreThe Mapuche are the largest indigenous community in Chile and they speak their own language, Mapudungun. Unfortunately, over the course of history, the Mapuche have experienced many hardships, especially in relation to the Chilean state. One of these hardships is the gradual loss of their language in favour of Spanish. This development can be seen through the fact that younger generations stop to speak the language and that Spanish is taking over the traditional use of Mapudungun in family affairs and ceremonial situations. Therefore, and in order to compensate for the historical debt that the Chilean state has with the Mapuche, the government implemented a Bilingual Intercultural Education Programme in 1996. Additionally, this is a good example of a method of revitalisation, which could help reverse the existing language shift. However, the programme in its current state has a lot of deficiencies, making it unsuccessful in achieving its objective. Consequently, this thesis will argue for the improvement of the programme, in order to increase its contribution in revitalising Mapudungun and to prevent the possible extinction of the language. The previous is important in the scope of the demands for rights of self-determination for which the Mapuche have struggled throughout history.Show less

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A Language in Danger of Extinction: Linguistic Revitalisation Efforts in the Case of Mapudungun in Chile