Talking in Context (Language and Identity in Kwakwaka'wakw Society)

Though linguists estimate that hundreds of languages are in danger of extinction, everyday use of Kwak’wala, an Indigenous language spoken in British Columbia, reveals that it has been strategically maintained even among young speakers as a marker of cultural identity. Anne Marie Goodfellow explores the relationship between language, culture, and identity through a case study of the current use of Kwak’wala in two communities, Quatsino and Kingcome Inlet.

Talking in Context demonstrates the importance of cultural contact to the structure of languages and addresses the sociocultural aspects of Indigenous language use in the modern world. Goodfellow’s analysis of linguistic data from three generations of Kwak’wala speakers shows that English has greatly influenced grammar and phonology. Even though English is replacing Kwak’wala as the language of communication, Goodfellow found that speakers with varying degrees of fluency use the language tactically to signal Kwak’wala identity and in ceremonial contexts.

Talking in Context shows the ways in which Indigenous languages may one day be restored to broader uses in the communities to which they are significant.