Indigenous Language Revitalization

The Designated Emphasis (DE) in Indigenous Language Revitalization enables interested graduate students already enrolled in UC Berkeley PhD programs to specialize and obtain certification in language revitalization while pursuing a doctoral degree in their home departments. The DE in Indigenous Language Revitalization is not an independent degree-granting program. Students admitted to the program's DE and who complete its requirements will receive a notation to that effect on their doctoral degrees.

The DE in Indigenous Language Revitalization creates an interdisciplinary course of study, drawing together an intellectual cohort that will equip graduate students from various departments with knowledge of the methods, histories, and goals of Indigenous language revitalization and reclamation. The DE emphasizes interdisciplinary coursework and hands-on experience (through practicum or fieldwork credits) that center on the critical methods and histories of the attempted eradication, the persistence, and the revitalization of Indigenous languages in the context of colonization. While the content of the DE primarily focuses on Indigenous contexts in the Americas, it is relevant to Indigenous settings globally. 

The DE draws upon and extends the unique resources available at Berkeley. The Linguistics Department has long been a leader in the study of Indigenous languages of the Americas (and throughout the world, e.g. in Africa and Southeast Asia), also supporting resources such as the Survey of California and Other Indian Languages and the California Language Archive. It has also been a leader in language revitalization. Indigenous community members and speakers teach and study at Berkeley and/or collaborate with Berkeley researchers. Community-driven language work is highly valued and supported. This rich intellectual heritage is the cornerstone of a DE that specifically trains and signals expertise in the area of Indigenous language revitalization. In Native American Studies and Education, courses and faculty research have long addressed the historical and cultural contexts of language loss; educational policies related to language; and the epistemological and cultural values of Indigenous languages. A critical mass of faculty and graduate students with shared interests in Indigenous language revitalization are working in linguistics, education, Native American studies, classics, music, romance languages, environmental sciences, biology, and anthropology. 

Visit Program Website