![]() ‘There are already over 20 new speakers of the language, which is pretty unique within such a short time frame.’ ‘The children and youths who performed became very active,’ she adds. Particularly innovative approaches included the production of plays, which were written by teenagers and performed by young residents of Wilamowice both on-site and at the Polish Theatre in Warsaw, Olko notes. In line with the project’s participatory approach, local activists and researchers are cooperating in this effort to transmit this Germanic language to a new generation and foster greater awareness of the community’s cultural identity. Different continents, similar challengesĬloser to home, ENGHUM is helping to revive the fortunes of a language specific to a small community in southern Poland: Wymysiöeryś is unique to the town of Wilamowice, where only a small number of speakers remain. ![]() ‘This had never happened before for this language, which is denied recognition and its place in institutions such as schools and the healthcare system. ‘In our field school in Mexico, we were able to involve some 40 indigenous speakers of Nahuatl, and most of the event was carried out in this language,’ she says. To give an example, she points to collaboration focusing on what was once the mother tongue of the Aztecs. ‘I think this was the novelty of the project, because this engaged research and empowerment could really be implemented in practice.’įor many minorities, the ENGHUM approach is unprecedented, Olko explains. ‘We realised early on that this was a mutual learning enterprise, particularly in that we were able to include representatives of minorities in the capacity-building,’ says Olko. Two academic partners – the University of Leyden and the University of London – are contributing expertise to this drive. Communities are involved at all stages of the research project as autonomous stakeholders.’ĮNGHUM was launched in January 2016 to support the University of Warsaw’s pursuit of excellence in the field. ‘It brings direct benefits not only to the academic institutions involved, but also to the communities that participate in the process. ‘Basically, this is participatory action research, and community-based and community-driven research,’ she explains. Olko refers to the project’s work as ‘engaged research’. ![]() ‘Going back to the language, or giving recognition to the language, is also part of the healing process for many communities that were subjected to trauma or discrimination.’ Active community It is an asset for native speakers’ cognitive development in early life, she adds, and an acknowledgement of their ethnolinguistic identity. The EU-funded project ENGHUM is building capacity for the study of linguistic-cultural heritage and the revitalisation of endangered minority languages – and it is doing so through research conducted with, rather than on, the communities that speak them.Ĭreating spaces for minority languages is first and foremost a human rights issue, says project coordinator Justyna Olko of the University of Warsaw. ![]()
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